Zavier Gozo earned his first call-up to the U.S. men's national team on Thursday, Sept. 17. The 19-year-old Utah native starred at America First Field in Sandy before a $15 million summer transfer to Crystal Palace.

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino named Gozo to a 28-player roster for four matches in September and October. The squad will face Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada as Pochettino begins a new four-year cycle aimed at the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Gozo is one of 13 uncapped players on the roster. Christian Pulisic and 12 other members of the 2026 World Cup squad were left off. The roster's average age is 22 years and nine months, more than four years younger than the group that played in the World Cup this summer, KUTV reported.

The call-up caps a rapid rise.

Born in West Valley City and raised in Eagle Mountain, Gozo joined Real Salt Lake's academy at 14, signed a professional contract with the Real Monarchs at 15 and made his MLS debut as a 16-year-old in 2023. In four seasons with RSL's first team, he totaled 10 goals, eight assists and 37 starts in 43 appearances, according to KSL Sports.

His breakout 2026 season, six goals and five assists in 16 starts, earned him a spot in the MLS All-Star Game. He became the first Utah native selected as an MLS All-Star and the youngest All-Star in RSL history at 19 years, four months and two days.

Crystal Palace signed Gozo to a five-year contract on Aug. 18 in what RSL called a club-record transfer. The Deseret News reported the fee at roughly $15 million, citing The Athletic. That made it the second-highest up-front price for an MLS homegrown player behind Ricardo Pepi's $20 million move to Augsburg. Gozo became the first Utah native to play in England's Premier League.

"You can just see that the sky is the ceiling for this young man," RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni told The Athletic in August, when Gozo completed the transfer.

Gozo had been on the USMNT's radar before the call-up. He was on the supplemental roster for the 2026 World Cup but did not make the final squad. He represented the U.S. at youth levels from U-15 through U-23 and scored three goals in 14 appearances for the U-20 team, including a game-winner against France at the 2025 U-20 World Cup.

As of the roster announcement, Gozo had made two appearances for Crystal Palace. He joins fellow American Chris Richards, who represented the U.S. at the 2026 World Cup, on the Crystal Palace roster.

RSL will retain a percentage of any future transfer fee for Gozo, according to the club's announcement.

Players report to training camp in Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 20. The first match is Sept. 26 against Peru in Orlando at 4:30 p.m. ET on TNT and Telemundo, followed by Chile on Sept. 29 in St. Louis, Mexico on Oct. 3 in Glendale, Arizona, and Canada on Oct. 6 in St. Paul, Minnesota.