FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – The first training camp in the USA for the new World Cup era is very similar to the first day of school. Students get to know each other, awkward newcomers introduce themselves to the cool kids they look up to, and instructors set boundaries and outline coursework.
As the four-year odyssey to the 2030 World Cup begins, connections are being made not between young and old, but older players.
Advertising
There is a starter in Chris Richards, a 26-year-old Alabaman who anchors the defensive campaign this summer, and Zavier Gozo, a 19-year-old winger from Utah, in the first US camp.
Last month, Richards joined Crystal Palace in the Gozo Premier League during the Major League Soccer season with Real Salt Lake increasing their stock in the transfer market and national team.
The pair sat side-by-side in a conference room at the national training center to answer questions from reporters on Thursday, two days before the United States faced Peru in Orlando in the first of four friendlies in 11 days. Given the Crystal Palace connection, their dual appearance was deliberate.
“He’s fine. He’s fine,” Richards said with his typical beaming smile as Gozo smiled. “It was good to have him at the Palace. My favorite time at the Palace was when I was with another American [goalkeeper] Matty Turner. So it’s been a lot of fun being Zavier here. Finally, if you have a compatriot, it’s good because you exchange experiences, but at the same time trying to do well at club level will ultimately help the national team.”
Advertising
Gozo has moved across Richards Street in Greater London, which many players prefer.
“My daughter [Luna] fell in love with it,” Richards said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Chris Richards, 26, and Zavier Gozo, 19, sat down for questions Thursday at the national training center outside Atlanta. They are Crystal Palace teammates and neighbors in London.
(Photo by Stephen Goff/Yahoo Sports)
Gozo has inherited something of an older brother, a knightly character in his fifth season at Palace and the I-beam of the US backline over the last few years.
“It’s a whole new thing for me,” said Gozo, who has never lived outside of Utah. “It’s been a big change to be in a city like London, a big city and obviously a different country. But I feel like having guys like Chris to help me, guide me and make me feel comfortable where I’m at. I’ve got a mini family like across the street.”
Advertising
Gozo made his Premier League debut on 22 August, coming on in the 68th minute of a 4–1 home loss to Manchester City. Ten days later, he played 17 minutes in a 3–0 League Cup win over second-flight Middlesbrough, which featured four Americans, including midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. Last weekend, Gozo were not included in the matchday squad for the 0-0 draw at Leeds.
He got on Mauricio Pochettino’s radar last spring when his speedy attack in MLS produced six goals and five assists in 16 matches. He had risen through the youth international ranks, but was unprepared for the demands of the World Cup without vast experience.
The Crystal Palace move has only accelerated his rise and this current wide gathering has provided the ideal platform for Pochettino to invite dozens of players to their first camps and 13 players who have never played for the first team.
After playing Peru, the Americans will face Chile on Tuesday in St. Louis, archrival Mexico on Oct. 3 in the Phoenix area and Canada on Oct. 6 in St. Paul.
Advertising
Gozo is a natural striker who could be deployed as a wing-back by Pochettino, providing backup to World Cup veterans Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson. Wingers Mathis Albert, 17, and Cole Campbell, 20, are also in camp for the first time.
Like many new campers, Gozo is vying for a spot on the 2028 Olympic squad, which is limited to players 23 and under, with the exception of three-year-olds. Olympic coach Steve Cherundolo works with Pochettino’s squad here.
Gozo, who has been mixing with players he has admired for years, called his experience this week “kind of surreal”. I want to play with the national team and fight for a place here. So I try to learn, but also to be competitive.”
Advertising
Moving up from the youth ranks to the senior team, Gozo highlighted both the physical and mental strengths of the experienced players.
Gozo said he’s “trying to mature in my game and obviously just learn from each of the players and take the best qualities from each of them and add them to my game.”
The US presence at Crystal Palace helped win over American fans who were more inclined to support other London clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur.
“Over the years, I’ve noticed more Americans coming to games and getting random messages on social media saying, ‘Hey, you’ve turned me on and you’ve turned my partner into a Crystal Palace fan,'” Richards said. “Now you see people in the crowd wearing USA jerseys, so it’s great to see the growth and respect that us Americans have gained in the Premier League over the last few years.”
Advertising
Without a major national team portfolio, Gozo was unknown in Premier League circles. But with his impressive performances in the MLS in the spring, he attracted the attention of foreign clubs. Crystal Palace paid a transfer fee of 15 million dollars to Real Salt Lake.
“Getting there as soon as possible would be the best thing for me, even if I don’t start games right away,” he said. “You don’t expect to go from MLS to the Premier League and start and win the Golden Boot or be the best player in the league. For me, it was just about development and just being in a high-level environment and being one of the best players on my team every day in MLS and then being the worst player on the team.”
With so many newcomers in the US camp, veterans oversee a light initiation process. Singing in front of a band is part of it.
Gozo’s Pick: “Let Me Love You”, by Mario.
Advertising
“I will say that there are some people who are really good singers,” Richards said. “Xavier did really well last night. I’ll give him props; he actually surprised us a lot.”
Now the US hopes to see Gozo’s surprises on the field.
USMNT camp records
The U.S. Soccer Federation is in the process of wrapping up the grueling, week-long MLS winter camp, which culminates with a December 13 friendly. The opponent and venue will be announced next month.
As the camp falls outside the official FIFA window, players from active leagues, including those participating in the MLS conference finals, will not be available.
Advertising
In November, the full squad will play in the two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals. The opponent will be determined in this international window. The home game will be played in Cincinnati on November 17. …
Carolina Reyna, sister of two-time World Cup midfielder Gio Reyna, has been named to the U.S. Under-17 World Cup squad in Morocco this fall. They are the first US brother-sister tandem to compete in separate U-17 World Cups. Their father, Claudio, played in the youth and senior World Cups.