For only the fourth time in their 22 seasons of existence, Real Salt Lake has earned 9 points in the first four games of the MLS regular season. Only once have they done better, back in 2011, when they won their first four matches earning 12 points.
This surprising start for Real Salt Lake has, in part, been created with the help of teenagers that were called on out of necessity.
Urgent 911
Right before the first game of the season Real Salt Lake was missing nine possible and probable starters for various reasons. Out with injuries:
- standout midfielder Emeka Eneli
- defender Kobi Henry
- forward Victor Olatunji
- newly signed defender Lukas Engel
- USMNT midfielder Diego Luna
Add to that were some new players waiting for visas or simply unavailable:
- defender and new U-22 signing Juan Jose Arias
- new Designated Player Morgan Guilavogui from French Ligue 1 side RC Lens
- midfielder Juan Manuel Sanabria
- midfielder Stijn Spierings
All of the above created opportunity for what turned out to be some talented and more than up to the task teenagers.
Zavier Gozo
Eighteen year-old winger Zavier Gozo picked up right where he left off from last season. Gozo appeared in 25 games and started 22. He netted four goals and three assists, solidifying a starting role with the Claret and Cobalt. He also was a standout for the U-20 US Mens National team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile over the summer.
So far, Zavier has continued his stellar play while being asked to fill a new role as a winger. With RSL moving to a new 3-5-2 formation in 2026, he’s been forced to learn on the fly. Even with the change, Gozo has continued to be a menace down the right side of the attack. When asked about how much more confidence he has in his left foot (an area of improvement for his development), Zavier said,
“A lot. I feel like in the offseason a lot of the time that is what I was working on. I feel like last year my game felt a little bit one dimensional. Like I was becoming a little bit predictable so I feel like the left foot helped me to become a little less predictable.”
That hard work in the offseason payed off in Atlanta. The rising RSL homegrown player scored a stunning left footed strike, beating the Atlanta United FC keeper and burying the game winning goal in the side netting.
While the play of Zavier Gozo may not be too surprising, the excellent play of his fellow RSL homegrown teenagers has been a revelation.
Aiden Hezarkhani
With Diego Luna recovering from injury to start the season, 18 year-old midfielder Aiden Hezarkhani was called upon fill the playmaking role until Luna’s return. Aiden has made the most of that opportunity, impressing everyone with his skill on the ball, his vision, and ability to not be overwhelmed in the moment. In the first four games Aiden has netted two spectacular goals.
In the 23rd minute of the Real Salt Lake home opener, after falling 1-0 in a well played and hard fought loss to start the season in Vancouver, the RSL homegrown opened his MLS scoring account. RSL newcomer, Juan Manuel Sanabria, flicked a dangerous ball from the top of the box to the far post. The onrushing Hezarkhani sent a left-footed, first time, half-volley laser into the top of the net past Seattle keeper Andrew Thomas. It was his first MLS goal and the first goal of the 2026 MLS season for Real Salt Lake
His second goal was even more impressive. In the 3-2 RSL victory in Atlanta, Hezarkhani put RSL 2-0 up with another brilliant strike. RSL newcomer and 2025 MLS Superdraft pick Sergei Solans clipped a ball to Aiden on the right at the top of the box. Aiden took the ball down with his chest, battled two Atlanta United FC defenders, and rocketed a right-footed shot from the top of the box past Atlanta keeper, Lucas Hoyos, into the top of the net. Aiden’s play has to make it difficult for Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni to keep him out of the lineup even with the return of Diego Luna.
Luca Moisa
Another teenager, 17 year-old Luca Moisa, started the first three games of the season in the RSL midfield next to a now “aging” veteran, 25 year old Noel Caliskan. Luca has impressed with his confident play. Looking not at all as if the moment is too big for such a young player. Asked, before his first start in the RSL season opener in Vancouver, how he prepares himself to be in a mental state where the moment is not too big for him he said,
“It’s just another day in your life… another game you’ve done all your life. It’s going to memorable if it’s my debut, but I just take it on as another game.”
Luca’s skill on the ball and his mature vision on the pitch have been evident. He seems to instinctively know where his teammates are on the pitch and his distribution to them has been quick and efficient.
But Wait, There’s More!
The RSL youth movement does not stop with Zaiver, Aiden, and Luca. The 2025 MLS Superdraft pick, Sergei Solans, has started two games and appeared in the first four games of the season for RSL. He scored his first MLS goal in his first MLS start at Atlanta. After getting behind the Five Stripes defense he sent the keeper the wrong way and slotted a right foot shot into the back of the net. The 22 year old looks to be another great find in the draft for Real Salt Lake.
RSL Academy homegrown player, 22 year old Zach Booth, has played in three games and started two with more than respectable reviews. He recently returned to the club after five seasons in Europe where he had stints with Leicester’s U21 side, Excelsior Rotterdam and FC Volendam.
Another RSL Academy homegrown player, 22 year old Griffin Dillon, has played in two games and made his first MLS start in the RSL victory over Austin FC. He brings a more physical element to the midfield in contrast to fellow homegrown Luca Moisa.
Seize the Opportunity
Opportunities can be fleeting for young players. With veteran players like Lukas Engel, Diego Luna and Victor Olatunji returning to health, and visas secured for Sanabria and Spierings, minutes for teenagers can quickly disappear.
When asked about how he can keep young players motivated after they have had success and made an impact for the club and then find their minutes drop when veterans are returning to the lineup, RSL Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni addressed the concern about keeping young players motivated, particularly as minutes dry up. He said:
“If we are going to have a successful campaign we are going to need everyone…there’s going to be a real need to keep these guys up to speed, dialed in, focused, and not to get despondent when they are not getting the minutes they want. Also, from a coaching perspective, giving them minutes to where they are constantly getting up to the speed of the game.”
Frankly, trying to find minutes for players that have earned the right to challenge for a starting role is a dilemma every coach desires. It doesn’t matter whether they are teenagers in their first MLS season, or savvy veterans staving off the talented kids nipping at their heels for playing time. It looks to be a year of opportunity for many of the young players on the roster of Real Salt Lake. And that’s a good thing.
Sunday at SDFC
Real Salt Lake will need all of their players, veterans and teenagers, ready on Sunday, March 22nd, as they head to San Diego. The Azules are sitting in third place in the MLS Western Conference. This is not surprising given how strong they were last season. What might be a shock for everyone else may be that RSL is only one point behind them in the table.
