NORCO, California (Saturday, December 4, 2021) – Out of the 305 teams participating in Major League Soccer’s inaugural MLS NEXT Fest at Silver Lakes Sports Complex in California this weekend, only the Real Salt Lake Academy U15 side earned Squad of the Day honors for their performance on day one of the event on Friday.
The RSL U15s opened the Generation Adidas Cup Qualifiers at MLS NEXT Fest with a match against Orlando City SC in which RSL won 3-1. Forward Zavier Gozo opened the scoring with the lone goal of the first half in the 36th minute, only to see Orlando City equalize just minutes into the second. It was from that moment that the U15s took the match to another level, scoring goals two minutes apart to put the game away. Defender Luis Rivera scored a self-proclaimed “banger” of a free kick to recapture the lead in the 65th minute and then Gozo scored his second of the day in the 67th minute. After taking the two-goal lead, the reigning champs controlled the remainder of the match defensively to earn the full three points.
The Real Salt Lake Academy U15s wrap up qualification play at MLS NEXT Fest against the Philadelphia Union on Monday, December 6th at 9:00 a.m. MT.
