Much has changed for Zavier Gozo since May. A day after learning he was not among Mauricio Pochettino’s 26 selections for the World Cup, he made what proved to be his third-to-last appearance for boyhood club Real Salt Lake. At that point he had only ever lived in Utah, and he watched the World Cup from the home he shared with his mother.
Less than five months later, Gozo is living half a world away, getting Premier League minutes for Crystal Palace and, as of a week ago, has his first cap with the senior US men’s national team. “It’s a big change to go from Utah to London,” he said, a master of understatement.
At Palace he has a familiar face in Chris Richards, his new international teammate. The center-back has become a stalwart for club and country since joining Palace in 2022, an every-minute option along the back and arguably their lead defender following the recent exits of Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix. Gozo has also endeared himself to Richards’ young daughter.
But Richards was not the biggest draw. Gozo says he knew more about Palace than he might have about the average club, pointing to their recent FA Cup triumph in 2025 and their Conference League and Community Shield wins in 2026. He also knew them from Wilfried Zaha and from a reputation for developing wingers and forwards. “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,” he said.
Palace’s track record of developing players from their academy and from other clubs reassured a player with Gozo’s ambitions. The trophy cabinet, and its rapidly waning open shelving, was another boost, while their place in the Europa League offered more games in which to make his mark.
Gozo’s final months in MLS showed little fear. Against Atlanta, he collected the ball near the right touchline at the edge of the final third with minimal attacking support, spun past his marker, dribbled infield and curled a shot to the far post. Four weeks later, against Kansas City, a split-second at the edge of the box was enough for him to execute a self-volley. Now, rather than taking an incremental step up, he is 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.” He described the adjustment from being one of Real Salt Lake’s best players to arriving at Palace as a test of confidence, adding: “You have to be uncomfortable to get to the highest levels.”
Beyond the culture shock of moving from Salt Lake City to south London, his status has shifted. He is no longer the boy wonder and homegrown hero that MLS fans watched develop into a leading forward. Now he carries the pressure of an eight-figure transfer fee, one of many promising American upstarts trying to thrive at the top level. The connection with supporters is different, too. “It’s more trying to prove yourself to the fans,” he said, comparing it with Real Salt Lake, where he felt the fans helped bring him up.
Gozo has made three appearances from the bench for Palace in all competitions so far, giving him a sense of the raised bar. The speed of play has increased considerably, the defenders he meets on the wing are better supported by their teammates, and the spaces at the edge of the box are in far shorter supply. For now, anyway.
Asked what he wants to improve after his Premier League introduction, Gozo highlighted physicality: not necessarily strength, but using his body to win fouls or protect the ball, and knowing when to take two touches, one touch, or turn and dribble. “Those are all things that you just have to have kind of perfect,” he said.
Refining those skills should also help him stick around Pochettino’s rejuvenated United States project. In the last international window Gozo debuted alongside 11 rising upstarts, including fellow wingers Cavan Sullivan and Mathis Albert. He appeared in one of the four friendlies, logging nearly half an hour against Peru. He is one of five members from the 2025 U-20 World Cup squad to debut in this window, having played with some of them since his first U-15 call-up in 2022.
Gozo believes the mood around the national team has changed. “I feel like the vibe at the national team has changed, especially since Pochettino has come here,” he 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.”