- Zavier Gozo, born in West Valley City and raised in Eagle Mountain, is one of ten young players in Season 3 of adidas' Messi +10 campaign, weeks after his Premier League and USMNT debuts.
- This story sits inside Utah's soccer lane and connects to the larger statewide sports picture.
- The story is backed by 15 sources and a visible last-verified date.
October 14, 2026
October 14, 2026
6 min / 1,346 words
15 official links
Zavier Gozo, the winger who was born in West Valley City and raised in Eagle Mountain, is one of ten young players in Season 3 of adidas' Messi +10 campaign. The roster, reported by VERSUS on Oct. 12, 2026, alongside adidas Football's announcement, puts a Utah-developed player in the same group as Can Uzun, Kees Smit, Gilberto Mora and Giovanna Waksman, two months after Gozo left Real Salt Lake for Crystal Palace.
For Utah soccer fans, the useful part is the road behind the roster spot. Gozo came up through local clubs, the Real Salt Lake discovery program and the RSL Academy, and he has described that road himself in a first-person essay published by the club.
What is Messi +10?
Messi +10 is an adidas campaign built around Lionel Messi and the brand's F50 boot. VERSUS describes Season 3 as a spotlight on "10 rising stars" from men's and women's soccer, and it ties the season to a new boot, the F50 Messi "FĂștbol y Familia."
Per VERSUS, the boot comes in a red colorway inspired by Messi's early years at Newell's Old Boys, reintroduces a lace cover over the instep as a nod to an F50 Messi wore early in his career, and is worn by Messi and the ten young players in the campaign.
It is a brand campaign, not an official ranking. Being one of ten names in an adidas spotlight says adidas wants these players associated with its boot and with Messi's legacy. It does not mean a governing body or a scouting service ranked them among the best prospects in the world, and Beehive Athletes is not presenting it that way.
Who else is in Messi +10 Season 3?
VERSUS lists the ten players as Can Uzun, Chloe Sarwie, Gilberto Mora, Giovanna Waksman, Jesus Rodriguez, Kees Smit, Lotta Wrede, Max Dowman, Tomas Aranda and Zavier Gozo. The group includes men's and women's players, and Gozo is the one whose development ran through Utah.
Zavier Gozo's Utah path
Gozo's essay for Real Salt Lake, "In My Own Words," starts in West Valley City. He began playing around age 3, and his father, a former player originally from Ivory Coast, coached him at local clubs. He names Comba FC and Avalanche among them.
He joined the RSL discovery program at about 11. His family later moved to Eagle Mountain after his older brother joined the RSL Academy, and Gozo signed with the Academy at 14, "just like my brother," he wrote.
The essay is candid about what that cost his family. He describes his parents driving him an hour each way to practice and making financial sacrifices so he could keep playing. He also describes breaking his fibula during the GA Cup, a setback doctors first projected at five to six months. He wrote that he was out for about three.
From there the milestones came quickly in his telling: a Golden Boot at the U-15 GA Cup, a first professional contract with the Real Monarchs, a red card in his first professional game, and a first-team debut for Real Salt Lake as a substitute against the LA Galaxy.
From Real Salt Lake to Crystal Palace
Gozo's 2026 season is what moved him onto the international radar. The Salt Lake Tribune and MLSSoccer.com reported that he led Real Salt Lake in goal contributions with six goals and five assists in 16 appearances, and he was the club's only 2026 MLS All-Star.
Crystal Palace announced his signing on Aug. 18, 2026, on a five-year deal. KSL Sports reported a fee of about $15 million, a Real Salt Lake club record, and KUTV and KSL both described him as the first Utah native to reach the Premier League. Ten days later, on Aug. 28, he made his Premier League debut as a substitute against Manchester City, per Opta's The Analyst. Beehive Athletes covered the move in detail in Zavier Gozo's $15 Million Leap, and his earlier World Cup bubble season in Utah's homegrown USMNT hopeful.
His first USMNT cap
A month after the transfer, Mauricio Pochettino named Gozo to his first senior United States roster for the September and October friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. On Sept. 26, 2026, in Orlando, Gozo came off the bench in the second half of a 4-1 win over Peru, one of several teenagers to debut that night. ESPN rated his debut a 7 and wrote that he "almost had an assist."
That makes him a full U.S. international as well as a Premier League player. The Messi +10 campaign adds a commercial spotlight on top of that record; it does not change his club or his national-team status.
What it means for Utah soccer
Eagle Mountain, where Gozo grew up, marked the transfer on its city website. Mayor Jared Gray said, "We could not be prouder of him," and the city pointed families to its own youth soccer program, brought in-house this fall. Gozo's farewell letter to Real Salt Lake fans carried a message of his own: "I hope more kids across Utah give soccer a try, join their local teams and keep learning and growing this beautiful game."
For a young player in a West Valley rec league or an RSL Academy age group, Gozo's path is now unusually well documented: local clubs coached by a parent, the discovery program, the Academy at 14, the Monarchs, the first team, a Premier League transfer, and now a global adidas campaign. Every step happened inside Utah's own development system until the move to London, and now the same player has a Premier League debut and a senior USMNT cap.
That is also why the campaign matters to Utah fans who will never buy the boot. It is one more public marker that a player built here can sit next to the biggest young names in the sport. Gozo's progress stands on its own; a campaign appearance does not guarantee minutes at Selhurst Park or a senior national-team call.
Beehive Athletes follows Utah-developed athletes across levels in its homegrown Utah coverage and its Utah soccer prospects hub.
Zavier Gozo and Messi +10: frequently asked questions
Is Zavier Gozo in Messi +10?
Yes. VERSUS lists Zavier Gozo among the ten players in Season 3 of adidas' Messi +10 campaign, reported Oct. 12, 2026, alongside adidas Football's announcement.
What is the Messi +10 campaign?
It is an adidas campaign tied to Lionel Messi and the F50 boot. Season 3 spotlights ten rising players and launches the F50 Messi "FĂștbol y Familia." It is a brand campaign, not an official ranking.
Where is Zavier Gozo from?
Gozo was born in West Valley City and raised in Eagle Mountain, Utah. He joined Real Salt Lake's discovery program at about 11 and signed with the RSL Academy at 14.
What team does Zavier Gozo play for now?
Crystal Palace of the English Premier League, which announced his signing from Real Salt Lake on Aug. 18, 2026. He made his Premier League debut as a substitute against Manchester City on Aug. 28.
Has Zavier Gozo played for the USMNT?
Yes. He made his senior United States debut on Sept. 26, 2026, as a second-half substitute in a 4-1 friendly win over Peru in Orlando, after Mauricio Pochettino called him into his first senior camp.
Key facts:
- Player: Zavier Gozo, winger, born in West Valley City and raised in Eagle Mountain, Utah
- Campaign: adidas Messi +10, Season 3, one of ten featured young players (VERSUS, Oct. 12, 2026)
- Boot: F50 Messi "FĂștbol y Familia," worn by Messi and the ten players
- Utah path: local clubs coached by his father, RSL discovery program at about 11, RSL Academy at 14
- Club: Crystal Palace, signed from Real Salt Lake on Aug. 18, 2026; Premier League debut Aug. 28 vs. Manchester City
- USMNT: senior debut Sept. 26, 2026, a 4-1 win over Peru in Orlando
- 2026 with RSL: six goals and five assists in 16 appearances, the club's only MLS All-Star
- What it is not: a brand campaign, not an official ranking of the world's best prospects