Ivacic and Slovenia set to face Finland and Denmark
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Timbers goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic was called into the Slovenian Men’s National Team for a pair of UEFA European Championship Qualifying matches in the June FIFA international window, the Football Association of Slovenia announced today. Ivacic will depart ahead of the Timbers’ June 11 match against FC Dallas to join Slovenia for matches against Finland (June 16) and Denmark (June 19).
Ivacic, 29, earns his third call up to the team but has yet to make his senior international debut for Slovenia. He made one appearance at the youth international level on April 23, 2013, starting in net for the Slovenian U20s in a friendly match against Croatia. In 12 appearances this season for the Timbers, Ivacic has recorded 43 saves, making four or more saves on eight different occasions. In the 2022 campaign, the Ljubljana, Slovenia native finished the MLS season with a league-best 112 saves, recording six clean sheets for Portland. Ivacic earned himself MLS Team of the Week honors in weeks 7, 19, 22 and 30 and capped off his impressive 2022 campaign with the Supporters’ Player of the Year award.
Playing in Group H, Slovenia (2-0-0, 6 pts) currently sits at the top of their European Qualifiers standings through two matches, having earned wins against Kazakhstan and San Marino in the March window. In this next round of group play, Slovenia will first face Finland on Friday, June 16, with a 9 a.m. (Pacific) kick off time at Helsinki Olympic Stadium. A few days later, Slovenia will return home to host Denmark on Monday, June 19, at Stožice Stadium; kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. (Pacific).
What | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
Slovenia vs. Finland (UEFA EURO Qualifiers) | June 16, 9am PT | Helsinki Olympic Stadium - Helsinki, Finland |
Slovenia vs. Denmark (UEFA EURO Qualifiers) | June 19, 11:45am PT | Stožice Stadium - Ljubljana, Slovenia |
