In its final outing prior to the two-month 2026 MLS World Cup break, two of Utah’s very own born-and-bred rising stars shared the spotlight in a gritty, 1-1 draw on the road at Minnesota United FC, a game which also featured another RSL debutant.
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Starting in the same match for the second consecutive match and for a fourth time this season, young Utah natives Zavier Gozo - born in West Valley and raised in Eagle Mountain - and Zach Booth, hailing from Eden, Utah, in Weber County - displayed their chemistry early on, combining for a 22nd-minute goal to give the Utah side a 1-0 advantage, the goal marking the first-ever assist-to-goal combination featuring Utah-born players.
Receiving the ball in the final third, Gozo looked to drive downhill, meanwhile, Booth was waving his arms on the right flank trying to call for the ball. After cutting inside, shaking off two Minnesota defenders and onto his right foot, Gozo spotted a wide-open Booth. Opting to lay a pass off to the right, fellow RSL Academy Homegrown Aiden Hezarkhani dummied, allowing the ball to continue its course to Booth. Upon reception, Booth took a controlling touch that guided him to the goalline, before firing a right-footed rocket at the near post leaving Drake Callender no chance, as Booth roofed the strike into the upper netting.
In celebration of opening his RSL scoring account, Booth was swarmed by Gozo and Hezarkhani, sharing the moment and eventually joined by many others. As the group thinned, Booth gestured with his right hand the iconic mano a borsa, paying homage to his Italian heritage.
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Subbing on in the 60th minute for Hezarkhani was 2025 MLS SuperDraft first-round pick Lineker Rodrigues, making his MLS debut. After taking the pitch, Rodrigues cemented himself as the 231st all-time player to don the Claret-and-Cobalt, and the ninth debutant this season for Real Salt Lake. Upon his arrival to the Wasatch Front, Rodrigues has been stellar for Real Monarchs, RSL’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate squad, scoring six goals and notching two assists in 14 matches. The quality run of form led to back-to-back short-term call-ups for Rodrigues, first appearing on the bench in last week’s Rocky Mountain Cup, prior to making his debut at Minnesota.
Real Salt Lake next returns to MLS action after the 2026 FIFA World Cup concludes, resuming its 2026 campaign with a three-match road trip starting in downtown Los Angeles (at LAFC on Wed., July 22), then on to Portland (Sat., July 25), and at St. Louis CITY SC (Sat., Aug. 1) before returning to America First Field on Tuesday, Aug. 4, to kick off its Leagues Cup run against Liga MX power Tigres UANL.
