Zavier Gozo admits it: he doesn't feel like he has much of a story to tell. Well, at least not yet.
"It's pretty generic" is how the 18-year-old attacker describes his rise, something which he hesitant to talk about. There just isn't much to reflect on yet, from his perspective - largely because all of this, whatever it is, is just getting started.
That part is true, but it also started from birth, in a way. Gozo's middle name, Didier, pays homage to one of soccer's greats - the legendary Didier Drogba. Throughout his rise, his game has been compared in some ways to another icon - Thierry Henry.
Gozo may use the word, but in reality, there's nothing "generic" about him or his path to become one of the most interesting teenage prospects in American soccer right now. Just a few months into life as an MLS regular, Gozo has already proven that there's something different about him. The Real Salt Lake star is quickly establishing himself as a "story" whether he's willing to acknowledge it or not.
Everything in his life tends to happen quickly. His leap from the youth level to MLS occurred in the blink of an eye, and before he even got his high school diploma. His pace on the ball has made him one of the top young attackers to watch in American soccer. Even his first MLS goal this last weekend came within the game's first 50 seconds.
"It's definitely been building up," he tells GOAL. "Obviously, I was 15 when I signed with the second team, and then my first year in MLS was last season. I feel like every year I've been working towards this. I feel more ready, more mature and, yeah, I feel like it's definitely a long-time coming."
There's still a long way to go, though. Just 18, Gozo is far from a finished product and, with all eyes now on him, expectations are rising, too.
GOAL sat down with Gozo to learn more about his game, and how that familiar middle name helped prepare him for what was ahead.
