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Photo: nypost.com
Gozo's leap from Utah to Selhurst Park
Zavier Gozo left his boyhood club for Crystal Palace this year chasing something he couldn't find at home, and in a new interview with The Guardian the American midfielder explains why getting uncomfortable was the whole point.
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From Utah to south London
Gozo grew up far from the usual pipelines that feed the Premier League, and his comfort zone, by his own description, was Utah. Swapping that for south London and Crystal Palace was never going to be a smooth transition, and he doesn't pretend otherwise. "You have to be uncomfortable to get to the highest levels," he told The Guardian, a line that doubles as the whole thesis of his move.
The World Cup snub
Gozo wasn't picked in Mauricio Pochettino's squad for the 2026 World Cup, a tournament the USMNT will host on home soil. For a young American trying to force his way into that conversation, missing out on the biggest stage his country will ever get is the kind of setback that either breaks a career or sharpens it. Gozo's framing, leaving home to get uncomfortable, suggests he's treating the omission as fuel rather than full stop.
Minutes at Selhurst Park
The context at Palace isn't easy either. Oliver Glasner's side sit 15th in the Premier League, a tough backdrop for any new arrival trying to force his way into a settled matchday squad, let alone one still adjusting to a different continent, climate and football culture. Gozo, however highly regarded, is competing for minutes rather than being handed them.
An American path through Selhurst Park
American players in the Premier League used to be a rarity worth a headline on their own. Gozo arriving as a product of his own development rather than a big-money marquee signing is part of a broader shift, and his willingness to talk openly about discomfort and exclusion rather than spin a highlight reel is unusual for a player this early into a move.
Will Gozo force his way into Glasner's Palace midfield this season?
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