MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Homegrown Zavier Gozo Named to U.S. Roster for 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Mexico

July 15, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


HERRIMAN, Utah / CHICAGO - Seventeen-year-old Real Salt Lake Homegrown Zavier Gozo - a native of Eagle Mountain, Utah - has been selected by U.S. Head Coach Michael Nsien to the 21-player roster that will represent team USA at this week's 2024 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, set for July 18-August 4 in Celaya and Irapuato, Mexico.

At the tournament, the U.S. Under-20 Men's Youth National Team will take aim at one of four berths to the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. The U.S. is aiming for its fourth-straight CONCACAF title after taking home its first three championships at this age level in 2017, 2018 and 2022.

As the tournament's top seed, the U.S. was drawn into Group A and opens the competition against Jamaica on Friday, July 19 (10:06 p.m. ET), squares up with Cuba on Monday, July 22 (10:06 p.m. ET) and finishes the group stage against Costa Rica on Thursday, July 25 (10:06 p.m. ET). All matches will be broadcast in the U.S. in English on FOX Sports networks and in Spanish by TelevisaUnivision networks. A full schedule will be released at a later date.

RSL Academy product Gozo, born in West Valley City before moving to Eagle Mountain, Utah, made his RSL debut at 16 years, 206 days last Fall, on October 14, 2023 at LA Galaxy - the third-youngest debutant in RSL's 20-year history. While Gozo has played just 11 minutes for RSL this season (June 1 in 5-1 W v ATX), he has performed at a high level in first-team training sessions, traveling with Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni's side on several occasions, while also juggling RSL U-17 tournament appearances during the first half of 2024 and scoring two goals in seven MLS NEXT Pro appearances for Real Monarchs. Gozo also started and earned an assist in RSL's Open Cup loss on May 8 in New Mexico.

The selection marks Gozo's first spell with the U-20 USMYNT, however, Gozo has represented the Stars-and-Stripes several times in recent years with the U-19, U-17, U-16 and U-15 US Youth National Teams at multiple camps and international competitions. His recent national team participation is highlighted by a late 2022 spell with the U-16 squad in Spain that saw Gozo score twice for the Red, White and Blue, getting on the scoresheet against Wales and later netting a game-winner against England in the tournament's final match.

Gozo joined the Real Salt Lake organization as a member of the Academy in the fall of 2021. In his first season with the RSL Academy, Gozo established himself as a prolific goalscorer, leading the team with 16 goals in the regular season, while scoring multiple goals at both the Generation Adidas Cup and MLS NEXT Cup tournaments, winning the latter's Golden Boot award. In his second season in the RSL Academy, Gozo was elevated to the U-17 squad, once again leading the way, netting 10 goals in 10 games while also contributing one assist.

2024 CONCACAF U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER BY POSITION (COLLEGE OR CLUB; HOMETOWN)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; Castle Pines, Colo.), Julian Eyestone (Brentford FC/ENG; Dallas, Texas), Duran Ferree (Orange County SC; San Diego, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (6): Luca Bambino (Los Angeles FC; Saugus, Calif.), Noah Cobb (Atlanta United FC; Chattanooga, Tenn.), Aiden Harangi (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; Reston, Va.), Stuart Hawkins (Seattle Sounders FC; Fox Island, Wash.), Ethan Kohler (Werder Bremen/GER; Campbell, Calif.), Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Taha Habroune (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo FC; Chicago, Ill.), Pedro Soma (UE Cornella/ESP; Coconut Creek, Fla.), Niko Tsakiris (San Jose Earthquakes; Saratoga, Calif.)

FORWARDS (6): Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC; High Point, N.C.), Keyrol Figueroa (Liverpool/ENG; Warrington, England), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake; Eagle Mountain, Utah), Ruben Ramos Jr. (LA Galaxy; La Puente, Calif.), David Vazquez (Philadelphia Union; Los Angeles, Calif.), Marcos Zambrano (Vitoria Guimaraes/POR; Parkland, Fla.)

The 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship is open to players born on or after Jan. 1, 2005. Nsien selected seven players born in 2005, 11 players born in 2006, two born in 2007 and one born in 2008. The roster features players from 19 clubs, including 14 from Major League Soccer. Six players are based abroad in England (two players), Germany (two), Portugal and Spain.

Eleven states are represented on the roster, with seven players coming from California, two players each coming from Florida, Illinois and Texas, and the rest of the roster hailing from Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

Midfielder Niko Tsakiris helped the U.S. qualify for the last FIFA U-20 World Cup at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship, netting three goals, and also represented the USA at the World Cup in Argentina. Nine players were a part of the USA's strong showing at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup last fall in Indonesia: goalkeeper Adam Beaudry, defenders Aiden Harangi and Stuart Hawkins, midfielders Taha Habroune, Cruz Medina and Pedro Soma plus forwards Nimfasha Berchimas, Keyrol Figueroa and David Vazquez.

Three helped the U.S. take fourth at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile, its best finish since 1999: defender Nolan Norris plus midfielders Sergio Oregel Jr. and Brooklyn Raines. Sixteen of 20 players have played in both MLS NEXT and MLS NEXT Pro in their careers.

These 16 have appeared in over 400 MLS NEXT Pro games and half of them (eight) have gone on to play in MLS. Forwards Ruben Ramos Jr. (LA Galaxy) and Berchimas (Charlotte FC) played against one another in the 2024 U17 MLS NEXT Cup Final on June 23, which the Galaxy won 4-1 behind a hat trick from Ramos Jr. He was also named the Top Scorer of MLS NEXT Cup with a tournament-high eight goals.

The 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship features 12 teams divided into three groups of four. The top two teams of each group and the two best third-place teams will advance to the quarterfinals. From there, the teams will play a single-elimination tournament. The four winners in the quarterfinal round will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

All three of the USA's group stage games will be played at Estadio Miguel Alemán Valdés in Celaya, Mexico. Estadio Sergio León Chávez in Irapuato, Mexico, will also serve as a venue for the competition.

Three alternates will travel with the U.S. to Mexico to train with the team prior to the tournament: Diego Garcia (FC Dallas; El Paso, Texas), Santiago Morales (Inter Miami CF; Weston, Fla.), and Fritz Volmar (Northwestern University; Peoria, Ill.).

All three players will depart camp before the tournament, barring any injuries.

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