RSL Duo Called in by USA U-20 Head Coach Marko Mitrović to Kick Off World Youth Championship Year;
RSL Academy Products Amongst 22 Players to West Palm Beach, Fla. from Jan. 11-19
HERRIMAN, Utah / CHICAGO (Fri., Jan. 10, 2025) – Two Real Salt Lake players – GK Gavin Beavers and FW Zavier Gozo – have been selected for this weekend’s upcoming U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team training camp in West Palm Beach, Fla. from Jan. 11-19. Beavers and Gozo – both RSL Academy products and U.S. Youth National Team mainstays in recent years – are age-eligible (born on or after Jan. 1, 2005) for this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, set for
Sept. 27-Oct. 19 in Chile. For this training camp, USYNT head coach Marko Mitrović called up eight players born in 2005, nine born in 2006 and five born in 2007.
“With the World Cup on the horizon, we’re excited to get this year started together in Florida,” said Mitrović, noting that the RSL pair joins two players from LAFC to lead a selection that sees 11 Major League Soccer clubs are represented on the roster. “Each training camp has been a step forward for this group and we look forward to continuing the work towards our goals this week in Florida. Together with our Talent ID department, we’ve put together a strong, diverse group of players and I can’t wait to get started on the field.”
Beavers has appeared in nearly 30 first-team games for Real Salt Lake during the last two seasons, the 19-year old GK posting 11 MLS reg. season starts last season, which saw the Las Vegas native record a 6-3-2 W-L-T mark with a trio of clean sheets. Beavers – who did notch a shutout in the USA U-20’s 3-0 friendly win over Chile last October – also split his two 2024 Leagues Cup starts, defeating Atlas FC at home and falling on the road at Houston on Aug. 5. The RSL homegrown earned his fourth MLS win of the season over Atlanta back on July 6 at home, again making several highlight-reel saves.
While an Albert Rusnák free kick in the 72nd minute at Seattle on May 29 snapped the RSL Academy product’s MLS shutout streak at 257 minutes, Beavers had a May 15 clean sheet at home against the Sounders earler in the month, also going the full 90 back on March 9 in the 1-2 loss to Colorado and the 4-0 road win at Chicago. After appearing in 12 games across all competitions in 2023 for RSL, the U.S. Youth international learning the professional game was reunited a year ago at the first team level with his mentor, RSL GK coach Mirza Harambasic, with whom he developed his skills with the Real Monarchs and the RSL Academy since 2019. Beavers also started and went the full 90 May 8 in the Open Cup loss at New Mexico last season, as well as recording four wins and one clean sheet in RSL’s 2023 U.S. Open Cup run to the semifinal stage.
Gozo has once again been called into a USA camp, repeating his recent inclusion in the U19 team’s Valencia, Spain-based group late last year, with the entirety of this team also eligible for this Fall’s 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Gozo – one of 13 players in the group on MLS Homegrown contracts – scored in three consecutive games down the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro stretch for Real Monarchs, which narrowly missed out on the eighth and final postseason berth with a 2-1 shootout win in early October.
Gozo has made one MLS appearance with Real Salt Lake in each of the last two seasons, one of many representing the RSL ethos of “Winning Together Through Development,” often called into youth international duty alongside various fellow Homegrown RSL Academy products currently matriculating through the Herriman-based system, honing skills with the USL / MLS NEXT Pro pathways and earning MLS contracts, along with youth national team recognition and international competitions.
U-20 MNT ROSTER – JANUARY TRAINING CAMP
Goalkeepers (2): Adam Beaudry (Colorado Rapids; Castle Pines, Colo.), Gavin Beavers (Real Salt
Lake; Henderson, Nev.)
Defenders (9): Freddie Anderson (Stoke City/ENG; Manchester, England), Luca Bombino (LAFC;
Saugus, Calif.), Grayson Dettoni (Bayern Munich/GER; Munich, Germany), Aiden Harangi
(Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; Reston, Va.), Ethan Kohler (Werder Bremen/GER; Campbell, Calif.),
Drew Murray (Freiburg/GER; San Jose, Calif.), Nolan Norris (FC Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas), Owen
Presthus (Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Chibuike Ukaegbu (Sacramento Republic FC;
Roseville, Calif.)
Midfielders (7): Matthew Corcoran (Birmingham Legion FC; Dallas, Texas), Taha Habroune
(Columbus Crew; Columbus, Ohio), Darius Lane (Brighton Hove Albion/ENG; London, England),
Cruz Medina (San Jose Earthquakes; San Francisco, Calif.), Bryan Moyado (LAFC; La Puente,
Calif.), Sergio Oregel Jr. (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Brooklyn Raines (Houston Dynamo FC;
Chicago, Ill.)
Forwards (4): Keyrol Figueroa (Liverpool/ENG; Warrington, England), Caden Glover (St. Louis
City SC; Columbia, Ill.), Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake; Eagle Mountain, Utah), Ruben Ramos Jr. (LA
Galaxy; La Puente, Calif.)
During the camp, the U-20s will spend a day training with the senior Men’s National Team in Florida, which currently includes Real Salt Lake standouts Diego Luna and Emeka Eneli. They’ll finish the week of training with a scrimmage against MLS club Nashville SC on Jan. 18.
LAST TIME OUT
Eight players return from the U-20 MNT’s November trip to southern Spain where they defeated Korea Republic 3-0 and took down France 2-1. The U.S. battled Korea Republic to a scoreless first half before Atlanta United forward Luke Brennan netted the opening goal shortly after the break. New England Revolution winger Peyton Miller added a tally in the 73rd and San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris added an exclamation point in stoppage time for the final 3-0 result.
Against France, Borussia Dortmund forward Cole Campbell put the U.S. up 1-0 in the 15th minute but Les Bleus tied things up less than 10 minutes later. Columbus Crew midfielder Taha Habroune found the game-winner midway through the second half to secure the USA’s second win of the window.
TICKET PUNCHED
Twelve players on the January camp roster helped the USA secure its U-20 World Cup berth with a runner-up showing at the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico: Adam Beaudry, Luca Bombino, Keyrol Figueroa, Eagle Mountain, Utah native Zavier Gozo, Taha Habroune, Aiden Harangi, Ethan Kohler, Cruz Medina, Nolan Norris, Sergio Oregel Jr., Brooklyn Raines and Ruben Ramos Jr.
Ramos Jr. scored two crucial goals for the U.S., netting the World Cup-clinching goal in the 1-0 quarterfinal victory vs. Guatemala and the game-winner in the 2-1 semifinal win vs. Panama. Beaudry backstopped the U.S. throughout the knockout stage, including a massive penalty save in the 90th minute against Guatemala to lock up the USA’s World Cup berth.
EXPERIENCE ON THE WORLD STAGE
A number of players already have represented the United States on some of the game’s biggest stages. Six players were a part of the U.S. roster at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia, leading the U.S. to the knockout stage before a narrow defeat to eventual champion Germany: Adam Beaudry, Matthew Corcoran, Keyrol Figueroa, Taha Habroune, Aiden Harangi and Cruz Medina.
In addition, three players helped the U.S. finish fourth at the 2023 PanAmerican Games, the USA’s best showing at the tournament since 1999: Nolan Norris, Sergio Oregel Jr. and Brooklyn Raines.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
• After five training camps in 2024 for the 2005 age group, this is the first of 2025. Three players have appeared in all six camps: Taha Habroune, Ethan Kohler and Nolan Norris.
- Two players are based at clubs in the USL Championship: Matthew Corcoran (Birmingham Legion FC) and Chibuike Ukaegbu (Sacramento Republic FC).
Real Salt Lake convenes for its 21st preseason in Herriman this Monday, January 13, 2025, the Club preparing for its fourth-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup foray, paired with Costa Rican side CS Herediano away on Feb. 19, with the return leg at America First Field in Sandy, Utah, on Wednesday, Feb. 26 (6:30p MT kickoff). RSL opens the 2025 MLS campaign – its 21st – away at San Jose Earthquakes on Sat., Feb. 22, with the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 2025 MLS home opener set for Sat., March 1 against long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC. Tickets and information for both competitions can be accessed at www.RSL.com/tickets.
