Zavier Gozo: ‘You have to be uncomfortable to get to the highest levels’

Much has changed in Zavier Gozo’s life since May.

Back then, Gozo was a day removed from learning he wasn’t among Mauricio Pochettino’s 26 selections for the World Cup, having just made what proved to be his third-to-last appearance with boyhood club Real Salt Lake.

Gozo had only ever lived in Utah at that point. He would watch the World Cup from home, where he lived with his mother.

Today, less than five months later, he lives half a world away. He is getting Premier League minutes and, as of a week ago, made his first appearance for the senior US men’s national team.

“It’s a big change to go from Utah to London,” said this master of understatement, stationed on a sofa in the lobby of the US team’s downtown Minneapolis hotel in shorts, slippers and a pristine white hoodie.

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He has joined a familiar face at Crystal Palace, at least, in his new international teammate – Chris Richards. The center-back has become a stalwart for club and country since joining Palace in 2022. He’s an every-minute option along the back line, arguably their lead defender after the recent exits of Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix. Gozo has evidently endeared himself to Richards’s toddler daughter, too.

Then again, landing alongside a compatriot was far from the biggest hook that helped Gozo opt for Palace.

“I think I knew more [about them] than maybe the average [club],” Gozo says before listing their recent triumphs in the FA Cup, the Community Shield (both in 2025) and the Conference League (in 2026). “They were in a good run of form, and they have been for the last couple years, and have been showing it on the European stage.

“I’ve known them from [Wilfried] Zaha, and being a very good club that develops wingers and forwards in general. It seems like they always have a player that’s coming through their system that’s either sold for a lot or just becomes a very good player. And obviously, when Chris was there, I was just following them, and him, and their success. I feel like I knew a fair amount.”

Given Gozo’s ambitions, Palace’s track record of developing both players from their own academy and those brought in from other clubs was a significant reassurance. Their trophy cabinet and its rapidly waning open shelving was another boost, and a place in the Europa League this season offered even more games for Gozo to make his mark.

By the end of his time in MLS, Gozo hardly showed a flicker of fear. On one occasion, against Atlanta, he collected a ball at the edge of the final third near the right touchline with minimal attacking support. Rather than wait for support, he swiftly put the defender marking him through the spin cycle, cleverly dribbling infield and uncorking a curler to the far post. Four weeks later, against Kansas City, a split-second at the edge of the box was all he needed to execute a bombastic self-volley.

Rather than taking an incremental step up in difficulty, he’s now contending to make the bench in the world’s most competitive league.

“I think the coaching staff believes in me and is bought into developing me and the talent that I have,” Gozo said. “I think it’s a perfect environment for me to learn, but also be thrown into the fire a little bit. When you’re at RSL and you’re starting to become their best player, or one of their best players, and you go to Crystal Palace, sometimes you can lose confidence. Because it’s like, ‘Oh wow, I can’t do the things I used to be able to do.’

“You just kind of have to figure out how you can become effective again, and yeah, obviously it can be hard at times, but also it’s what you want. You have to be uncomfortable to get to the highest levels.”

Gone are the days of being the boy wonder, the homegrown hero fans watched develop into a leading forward in MLS. Now Gozo bears the pressure that comes with arriving on an eight-figure transfer fee, one of many promising American upstarts determined to thrive at the sport’s highest levels.

“It’s very different. Obviously, you don’t feel the connection with the fans as much. But also, you want to be able to do something for the fans, for them to be able to connect with you,” Gozo said. “[You want to] bring them happiness and bring them joy with what you do on the field. It’s more trying to prove yourself to the fans; I feel like with the fans of RSL, it’s kind of like they’re bringing you up, like giving you confidence while you’re coming up.”

He’s made three appearances from the bench for Palace in all competitions thus far, giving him a sense of the newly raised bar. The rate of play has increased considerably. Those defenders meeting him on the wing, like the aforementioned poor soul in Atlanta, are better supported by their teammates. Those spaces at the edge of the box, like the plot of grass afforded to him by Kansas City, are in far shorter supply.

For now, anyway.

Asked what he aims to improve after his Premier League introduction, Gozo said “physicality and not even being necessarily strong, but using your body in a way to either win a foul or protect the ball, and knowing when to take two touches, or take one touch, or turn and go dribble. Those are all things that you just have to have kind of perfect.”

Further refining those skills should also help him stick around Pochettino’s rejuvenated USMNT project. This past international window saw Gozo debut along with 12 rising upstarts, including fellow wingers Cavan Sullivan and Mathis Albert. Gozo appeared in just one of the four friendlies, logging nearly half an hour against Peru.

Gozo may be new to the senior team, but past camps and tournaments at the youth international levels are especially relevant given the program’s young sea change. He was one of five members from the 2025 U-20 World Cup squad to debut this window, having played with some since his first call-up to the U-15 level in 2022.

“I feel like the vibe at the national team has changed, especially since Pochettino has come here,” Gozo said, “Even just since the World Cup, I think a lot of people are more involved and paying attention.… It’s just an elevated energy, almost. It feels good to walk in and to be a part of this group.”