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.

Zavier Gozo could be heading for the world's biggest stage

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.

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Gozo has gained greater momentum in 2026, establishing himself as one of the most exciting young talents in Major League Soccer, and the proof is in the pudding.

Indeed, only Julian Hall (8) has provided more goal contributions than Gozo (6) amongst U-21 players in MLS.

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. 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.

But it's not just his technical ability and speed that catches the eye: it's also his vision and footballing IQ. Gozo makes the most of his physical prowess by making inroads into the final third, several times per game, often to useful effect.

Gozo is brimming with confidence and backing himself to deliver the goods, leading RSL in shots on target (1.3) and shots (3.2) per game - but he isn't selfish with it, playing the correct pass when necessary, indicating strong judgement.

In addition to topping RSL's charts for big chances created (7), Gozo is also chipping in with defensive contributions, including a team-high 2.5 tackles per 90. It's precisely these attributes which have led numerous USMNT pundits to call for Mauricio Pochettino to include him in his squad at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The USMNT is in desperate need of verticality and dynamism - Gozo provides that.

Apart from Timothy Weah, Pochettino doesn't have a natural winger in his attacking arsenal, and it's why Gozo could be in line for a maiden senior call-up this summer.

It remains to be seen whether or not the 19-year-old attacking phenom will make his debut in the World Cup, but one thing's for sure. With teams like Aston Villa, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, and Monaco already putting out feelers, it's only a matter of time before Gozo departs MLS for one of Europe's top five leagues."

"I think obviously I would like to continue with RSL for the next two months and then in the summer window, obviously, I would like to go to Europe," stated Gozo on MLS On Air. “That's been my dream for as long as I could remember. So I think that's the perfect time for me to take the next step, and if I have that opportunity, I 100% want to take it.”