Goalkeeper Henrich Ravas’ debut with the New England Revolution was a success but not much of a test case for what lies ahead.

Ravas needed only two saves to record a clean sheet in the Revolution’s 1-0 victory over CA Independiente in round one of their home and home Concacaf Champions Cup series on Wednesday night at Estadio Universitario FC Stadium in Llano Marin, Panama.

Ravas can expect considerably more pressure in the scoring area when the Revolution open the 2024 MLS regular season against D.C. United on Saturday night (7:30) at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

“I am really happy with my debut, it was certainly important for me to start out on a good foot, which I think I did,” said Ravas. “Obviously now we are looking forward to the next game and I think it is going to be much different.

“I think D.C. will be a good quality start to (MLS). I think we have a good quality team and I think we can get can get three points out of this game. It is going to be much different but we will be prepared to do our best and try to win the game.”

Ravas was acquired on Jan. 6 from the Polish club Widzew Lodz for an undisclosed fee. He was tendered an MLS contract and will fill an international roster spot through the 2026 season with a team option for 2027. Ravas, 26, is a native of Senica, Slovakia, and a back-up goalkeeper on the Slovakian National Team.

“My main aspiration now is to achieve something big here in New England,” said Ravas. “I am not thinking much forward, I am going to be in the present.

“Winning the MLS Cup for me is a big aspiration and I think it is for everyone else on the club and for our fans. For me to achieve something great here as a group is the most important thing.”

Ravas was the beneficiary of a hyperactive performance by the Revolution’s back four against CA Independiente. Veterans center backs Andrew Farrell and Dave Romney were a steadfast buffer in the middle. Left back DeJuan Jones, a contributor to the U.S. National Team, was an offensive presence at left back, while newcomer Nick Lima, who is filling in at right back for injured Brandon Bye, brought stability on the flank.

The most noticeable aspect of the Revolution’s solid performance along the back line was Farrell, who was quick to the ball, made secure passes and was never caught up field. That was a huge improvement on where Farrell was at the end of last season, when he was playing out of position at right back in place of Bye.

“He has been playing well and he’s good on the ball,” said Revolution first-year head coach Caleb Porter. “With Andrew, he is very good on the ball and sometimes he can take some risks.

“But I think that is one of his best qualities and he is programmed in that way on how we are trying to build out our attacks and he’s technical. I think in our system he will do very well because he is technical enough to find passes as long as he understands our patterns of play.”

The Revolution play a congested schedule from the onset which will test Porter’s ability to rotate his roster and evaluate its depth. The match in Panama was the first of four games in 11 days. The Revolution will host CA Independiente in the second leg at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night (8:15) and will face Toronto FC in the home opener in a Sunday matinee (2) on March 3.

“It’s a quick turnaround obviously but we had planned for this and we knew essentially if we kept advancing over these next three weeks, we are going to play a game every two or three days,” said Porter. “That is why I was so bullish on getting every player on the team 90 minutes at the end of preseason.

“It was less about results and more about being physically ready for this difficult first three weeks. To start the year is tricky because you want to get off to a good start. We are juggling multiple competitions and we want to get off to a good start in both the league and Concacaf Champions Cup.

“You also want to keep building and to build you need continuity. I’ve always felt it is important to build that durability on your team early in the year.”