FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — The first U.S. training camp of a new World Cup cycle has been a lot like the first day of school. Pupils are getting to know one another, awkward newcomers introducing themselves to the cool kids they’ve looked up to and instructors setting boundaries and outlining course work.
As the four-year odyssey to the 2030 World Cup commences, young and not-old-but-older players are forming bonds.
Chris Richards, the 26-year-old Alabaman who anchored this summer’s defensive campaign, and Zavier Gozo, a 19-year-old winger from Utah in his first U.S. camp, have a head start.
Last month, amid a breakthrough Major League Soccer season with Real Salt Lake that raised his stock on the transfer market and national team, Gozo joined Richards at Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
On Thursday, two days before the U.S. faces Peru in Orlando in the first of four friendlies over 11 days, the pair sat side by side in a conference room at the national training center, answering questions from reporters. Given the Crystal Palace connection, their dual appearance was intentional.
“He’s alright. He’s alright,” Richards said with his typically beaming smile as Gozo grinned. “It’s been good having him at Palace. My favorite time at Palace was when I had another American with [goalkeeper] Matty Turner. So having Zavier here, it’s been a lot of fun. Ultimately, it’s good when you have a fellow countryman because you share experiences, but also trying to do well at the club level will ultimately help with the national team.”
Gozo moved in across the street from Richards in greater London, an area preferred by many players.
“My daughter [Luna] is infatuated with him,” Richards said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Chris Richards, 26, and Zavier Gozo, 19, sat for questions together Thursday at the national training center outside Atlanta. They’re Crystal Palace teammates and, in London, neighbors.
Gozo inherited a big brother of sorts, a gregarious character in his fifth season at Palace and the I-beam of the U.S. backline the past few years.
“It’s a whole new thing for me,” said Gozo, who had never lived outside Utah. “Being in a city like London, a big city and obviously in a different country, it’s been a big adjustment. But I feel like having guys like Chris there to help me and guide me, and make me feel comfortable where I’m at, I kind of have a mini-family like right across the street.”
Gozo made his Premier League debut Aug. 22, entering in the 68th minute of a 4-1 home loss to Manchester City. Ten days later, he logged 17 minutes in a 3-0 League Cup victory over second-flight Middlesbrough, which employs four Americans, including midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. Last weekend, Gozo did not make the matchday squad for the 0-0 draw at Leeds.
He roared onto Mauricio Pochettino’s radar last spring, when his swift forays in MLS produced six goals and five assists in 16 matches. He had risen through the youth international ranks, but without senior experience, he wasn’t ready for World Cup demands.
The Crystal Palace move only accelerated his ascent, and this current extended assembly provided the ideal platform for Pochettino to invite a dozen players to their first camp and 13 in all who’ve never played for the senior squad.
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.
Gozo is a natural attacker who could end up being deployed by Pochettino as a wing back, providing back-up 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 also vying for a place on the 2028 Olympic squad, which is restricted to players 23 and under, with three overage exceptions. Olympic coach Steve Cherundolo is working with Pochettino’s staff here.
Mixing with players he has admired for years, Gozo called his experience this week “kind of surreal. I want to play with the national team and compete for a spot here too. So I’m trying to learn but also be competitive.”
Shifting from youth circles to the senior team, Gozo noted both the physical and mental strengths of seasoned players.
Gozo said he is focused on “maturing in my game and obviously just learning from every single one of the players and taking the best qualities from each of them and trying to add them to my game.”
The U.S. presence at Crystal Palace has helped win over American fans, who have been more inclined to support other London clubs, such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur.
“I’ve noticed over the years more and more Americans coming to games and getting random messages on social media like, ‘Hey, you’ve turned myself and turned my partner into a Crystal Palace fan,'” Richards said. “You see people in the crowds wearing U.S. jerseys now, so it’s really cool to have seen the kind of development and respect that us Americans have gotten over the last few years in the Premier League.”
Without a senior national team portfolio, Gozo was unknown in Premier League circles. But with his impressive MLS performances in the spring, he caught the attention of clubs abroad. Crystal Palace paid a reported $15 million transfer fee to Real Salt Lake.
“Moving over there as quick as possible would be the best thing for me, even if I’m not starting games immediately,” he said. “You don’t expect to go from the MLS to the Premier League and start, win the Golden Boot or be the best player in the league. It was just about development for me and just being in a high-level environment, and every day coming in and going from being one of the best players on my team in the MLS and going back to being the worst player on the team again.”
With so many newcomers in U.S. camp, the veterans are overseeing a lighthearted initiation process. Singing in front of the group at large is part of it.
Gozo’s selection: “Let Me Love You,” by Mario.
“I’ll say there’s some people who are really good singers,” Richards said. “Zavier did really well last night. I’ll give him his props; he actually very much surprised us.”
Now, the U.S. hopes to see Gozo’s surprises on the field.
camp notes
The U.S. Soccer Federation is in the process of finalizing an MLS-heavy, week-long winter camp, culminating with a Dec. 13 friendly. The opponent and venue will be announced next month.
Because the camp falls outside an official FIFA window, players in active leagues won’t be available, including those involved in the MLS conference finals.
In November, the full squad will play in the two-leg CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals. The opponent will be determined in this international window. The Nov. 17 home leg will be played in Cincinnati. …
Carolina Reyna, the sister of two-time World Cup midfielder Gio Reyna, was named to the U.S. Under-17 World Cup squad, which will compete in Morocco this fall. They are the first U.S. brother-sister tandem to compete at separate U-17 World Cups. Their father, Claudio, played in youth and senior World Cups.
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