There's nothing "generic" about the 18-year-old or his path as one of the most interesting teenage prospects in American soccer
Zavier Gozo admits it: he doesn't feel like he has much of a story to tell. Well, at least not yet.
"It's pretty generic" is how the 18-year-old attacker describes his rise, something which he hesitant to talk about. There just isn't much to reflect on yet, from his perspective – largely because all of this, whatever it is, is just getting started.
That part is true, but it also started from birth, in a way. Gozo's middle name, Didier, pays homage to one of soccer's greats – the legendary Didier Drogba. Throughout his rise, his game has been compared in some ways to another icon – Thierry Henry.
Gozo may use the word, but in reality, there's nothing "generic" about him or his path to become one of the most interesting teenage prospects in American soccer right now. Just a few months into life as an MLS regular, Gozo has already proven that there's something different about him. The Real Salt Lake star is quickly establishing himself as a "story" whether he's willing to acknowledge it or not.
Everything in his life tends to happen quickly. His leap from the youth level to MLS occurred in the blink of an eye, and before he even got his high school diploma. His pace on the ball has made him one of the top young attackers to watch in American soccer. Even his first MLS goal this last weekend came within the game's first 50 seconds.
"It's definitely been building up," he tells GOAL. "Obviously, I was 15 when I signed with the second team, and then my first year in MLS was last season. I feel like every year I've been working towards this. I feel more ready, more mature and, yeah, I feel like it's definitely a long-time coming."
There's still a long way to go, though. Just 18, Gozo is far from a finished product and, with all eyes now on him, expectations are rising, too.
GOAL sat down with Gozo to learn more about his game, and how that familiar middle name helped prepare him for what was ahead.
AFPWhere it all began
In March of 2007, Drogba was just reaching the peak of his powers. He scored 33 goals that season, firmly establishing himself as the Premier League's best. So, when the son of an Ivorian immigrant was born thousands of miles away in West Valley City, Utah, there was only one middle name for him: Didier.
"Oh, it's definitely Drogba affiliated," Gozo says with a laugh. "It was definitely named after him. My dad loves Drogba. He's his favorite player, so that was definitely influenced by him."
Gozo's father was a huge influence – he grew up playing the game in the Ivory Coast, and transmitted that love of the game to his son. Gozo's mom was equally influential, helping him navigate one of the first real challenges in a young player's career: realizing you're good.
"When I first started soccer, my mom said I was way better than everyone else, so she moved me up an age group," he says. "Honestly, for myself, I didn't even feel like I was all that good, but then I realized, 'Alright, maybe I have a shot at this'. When I got into the academy and started playing those guys, I was playing well, and that was when I really realized that maybe I had a shot."
"I always loved it," he adds. "After I got into it, I couldn't stop."
He joined RSL's academy at age 14. At 15, he signed his first professional contract with Real Monarchs of MLS Next Pro. At 16, he debuted in MLS and at 17, he officially signed a first-team contract. Every year, a big step forward. Having recently turned 18, Gozo just took his biggest leap yet.
AdvertisementThe big break
Heading into the early months of 2025, Gozo prepped for his second preseason with RSL's first team. Looking back at his initial campaign, he realized just how unprepared he was. This time would be different, he thought. He was sure of it.
"Last preseason, I thought I was ready. I don't think that now," he says. "I don't think I was ready. I wanted to play in that team and I was just working and working, playing games with the second team and scoring goals. I feel like this preseason, it was a lot different. I felt like I was really part of the team."
Gozo has certainly earned his place as part of this new-look RSL. After losing several veterans, most notably striker Chicho Arango, RSL has relied on youth, opening a pathway for a player such as Gozo to seize a first-team place. He's done that in these early months of the MLS season, featuring 10 times while making six league starts.
It all led to this past weekend, his true Welcome to MLS moment. Played in on the left-hand side, Gozo timed his run well, finding himself one-on-one with a defender. He made no mistake, pushing the ball onto his right foot before sliding a shot inside the near post. Less than a minute had gone off the clock, and Gozo was celebrating his first MLS goal.
"He gets in behind and those are things we've been working on and then, from there, Gozo makes the play," RSL boss Pablo Mastroeni said of the goal. "It's a long time coming. He's been in really good spots. Moments like that accelerate your belief, accelerate your career."
Rob Gray-Imagn ImagesHow he's evolving
Throughout the early weeks of the season, Gozo established himself as a key cog for RSL. That doesn't mean he's comfortable, though. In fact, it's the exact opposite. He knows how he got his spot, through a series of circumstances. A similar series could see him lose it at any time.
"It's never a guarantee that you're going to be in the first team," he says. "After preseason, I played well, I'm in training, and then it was just 'Let's see if I'm in the squad each weekend'. Every week feels like a battle to make the squad. Every week differs."
So, too, does every game, which is one Gozo's major learnings. There were certain things he could always get away with at lower levels that no longer fly in MLS.
"I think it's just about making moments," he says of the leap to MLS. "I feel like I can still do those things on this level. When you face better players, you can't get them every time. You have to pick your moments to go, pick your moments to dribble, when to pass, when it's OK to go and when it's not. That's what brings me the most success: picking those moments."
Gozo is picking his moments well for an RSL team that is, in some ways, learning a lot on the fly. Led by rising U.S. men's national team star Diego Luna, RSL has frequently started four attackers under the age of 21, with Gozo the youngest at 18.
"I feel like we are all learning together," Gozo says. "We're all being thrown into a position where you can't use age as an excuse. You have to get on with it and be like everyone else, but I feel like there's confidence in this group. We've put together good performances and good matches and, even though the results aren't falling our way, it feels like the season is looking up for us."
USA Today ImagesBiggest strengths
You see all of the makings of a traditional winger with Gozo. He's fast, smooth on the ball and, if his goal this past weekend is any indication, composed when he has something to do with it. He loves taking on defenders one-on-one, as all good wingers do. Those are the parts of his game that got him to RSL's first-team. They aren't the ones that keep you there in a Mastroeni-led squad, though.
No matter who you are, Mastroeni expects defensive commitment, and it's that commitment that has kept Gozo in the lineup. Even when he had difficult moments in the attacking end, Gozo remained strong defensively. Per FBRef, when comparing Gozo to wingers in 14 other competitions, his biggest successes are in the defensive end of the field. He's in the 99th percentile in tackles, interceptions and blocks. He's in the 95th in clearances.
Yes, his take-ons and carries stats are good, too, but it's that defensive commitment that forms the backbone of everything RSL does.
"Pablo is a defensive-minded coach, for sure," Gozo says."We have 11 dogs out there on the field, and everyone defends. The nine defends, the right wing defends, the left wing defends… no one gets time off. Defense makes offense, so if we win the ball high up, then we get more attacking opportunities, too.
"I think the part of my game that I really lean on every game, whether I'm feeling it or not on the offensive end, is that I'm going to work hard and I'm going to win balls defensively.
Mastroeni, meanwhile, is extremely high on his rising young winger, not because of what he does on the ball but rather, his attitude.
"The one thing with Gozo is even though he's nowhere near the final product that he will become, he's a willing learner," Mastroeni said last week. "Oftentimes, I think that when you have young players coming into the first team, they think they've already made it. I think the most important part is the character of the young man who's willing to keep learning.
"For me, I just take great joy with guys that are willing to listen, take a little bit of the experience that myself and the coaching staff have had in the game and for them to apply it in real time. You don't always get it right and it doesn't always come off, but when it does come off, there's a motivation to continue listening. He's been great. I can't say enough about Gozo and the way he impacts games."
