USMNT teenager Zavier Gozo on cusp of home World Cup call-up after standout MLS campaign 'The Boy's A Bit Special'

"Real Salt Lake have bounced back from last year's wildcard defeat to Portland Timbers and climbed to sixth in the MLS Western Conference at the beginning of this season. One player who has proven indispensable is 19-year-old Zavier Gozo. Born and raised in Utah to an Ivorian father and American mother, Gozo joined RSL's academy in 2021 and made his first-team debut two years later."

"He bagged his first MLS goal two days after graduating high school in a 3-2 win against eventual Western Conference champions Vancouver Whitecaps. After following that up with goals vs. D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, a brace of assists vs. Sporting Kansas City, and a spectacular overhead kick vs. LAFC, Gozo headed to Chile, where he excelled in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, leading the USA to a memorable 3-0 victory over France with a goal and assist."

"Having only turned 19 in March, Gozo is showcasing remarkable maturity, working hard on and off the ball, effectively making himself undroppable at right wing-back in Pablo Mastroeni's 3-4-2-1 system. Gozo is an entertainer, pushing fans to the edge of their seats with his pace and panache, giving opposing full-backs a headache borne out of the youngster's dribbling. His teammates are constantly looking to feed him the ball, where he can change directions at speed and elude his marker."

"Indeed, only Julian Hall (8) has provided more goal contributions than Gozo (6) amongst U-21 players in MLS. It should come as no surprise that he is averaging 1.5 successful dribbles per 90, twice as many as the next-best RSL player. "

Real Salt Lake rebounded from a wildcard defeat and climbed to sixth in the MLS Western Conference, with 19-year-old Zavier Gozo proving indispensable. Born in Utah to an Ivorian father and American mother, he joined RSL’s academy in 2021 and debuted for the first team two years later. He scored his first MLS goal shortly after graduating high school, then added goals, assists, and an overhead kick. He performed strongly at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, helping the USA beat France 3-0 with a goal and assist. In 2026 he has become a key right wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 system, showing maturity, off-ball work, and elite dribbling, averaging 1.5 successful dribbles per 90.

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