When Mauricio Pochettino names his final U.S. World Cup roster in less than two weeks, he should make room for at least one surprise.

Yet it will only truly be a shock for those who haven’t been paying attention.

Real Salt Lake’s Zavier Gozo, an uncapped 19-year-old winger, scored twice on Wednesday night in a 3-0 win over the Houston Dynamo. It was a performance that only added to what has been a breakout season, a continuation of the promise he showed last year when his overhead kick against LAFC put him on the map.

That highlight-reel finish was a preview of the dynamic and creative presence Gozo has in front of goal. He only reinforced that on Wednesday with his eighth and ninth goal contributions (five goals, four assists) of the season.

Is there risk in introducing any new player to a core group this late in the World Cup process? Sure. But simply put: Gozo would undoubtedly make the U.S. World Cup team better.

Pochettino’s preferred group lacks true game-changers. It’s why he has called in Gio Reyna despite the player’s continued struggles to stay healthy, effective and on the field. The U.S. coach understands there will be moments in this World Cup where he will look down the bench in search of someone who can add a spark — someone whose energy and presence alone boosts the team because it knows the player can pull out something different when the moment calls for it.

The search should be over. Gozo is that player.

And it’s not just about what he brings on the field, though certainly we can start there.

Gozo has the physical profile to compete at the highest levels of the game. It’s why he has drawn interest from the likes of Atlético Madrid and Aston Villa, per The Athletic’s Tom Bogert — and why multiple sources around him and around the league expect the Utah native to be sold for eight figures this summer. He can run by defenders with pace. He can body up in the box when needed. He never plays afraid.

And that’s where what he does around the box becomes an important part of the conversation. Gozo tries things. He tests goalkeepers. He creates opportunities for himself — and for others.

His finish earlier this month against the Portland Timbers was a good example of his savvy in front of the net. Gozo was a late runner in a counterattack. As he approached a rolling pass near the top of the box, he moved his eyes central, to where Diego Luna was lurking. It was enough to get the goalkeeper to lean to his right just a touch, and Gozo laced a shot inside the near post.

His feel and creativity around goal were even better a month earlier against Sporting Kansas City, when he received a pass at the top corner of the box, flicked it up to himself and snapped a volley inside the upper corner of the far post, a brilliant finish that doubled RSL’s lead.

Against Atlanta United in March, he showed another layer to his game, bringing the ball down out of the air in stride, dribbling at and then past a defender and onto his left foot, where he curled a shot to the far post.

Time and time again, Gozo does stuff in games that makes you stand up. It has a similar feel to other top young players who have come before in MLS, guys like Alphonso Davies and Tyler Adams, who simply seemed as though they were too good for this league.

Gozo is clearly ready for more, and Pochettino has a chance to give him the ultimate stage to prove it.

As his profile has grown, so has his place on the U.S. radar. Pochettino’s right-hand man, assistant coach Jesús Pérez, hinted as much last weekend.

“(Watching a) few players, young players on both sides today,” Pérez said when asked on Apple TV why he was scouting FC Dallas vs. Real Salt Lake. “Very important for us to keep an eye on some of them. Obviously Luna is the one that has been more games with us, but there are a few other players that caught our eye and it’s important to be here today.”

It’s not a stretch to conclude that Gozo is among that cohort, nor would it be unprecedented to call in a teenager without any senior caps to a World Cup squad.

At the 2022 World Cup, 10 players made appearances aged 20 or younger with two or fewer pre-World Cup caps, according to TruMedia. That includes the Netherlands’ Xavi Simons, who made his debut in the knockout stage against the U.S. at 19.

Trent Alexander-Arnold had one cap when he made his World Cup debut in 2018 at age 19. Thomas Müller had two caps when he made his World Cup debut in 2010 at 20 (and scored five goals to win the Golden Boot). Christian Eriksen had three caps when he made his World Cup debut in 2010 at 18.

Experience is not an excuse when a player is both the right fit and ready for the moment.

It’s not even a unique scenario for the U.S.

Joe Scally made the World Cup squad in 2022 at 19 despite having just three senior caps. Julian Green (19, two caps) and DeAndre Yedlin (20, four caps) made the U.S. team in 2014, with Green scoring a knockout-stage goal and Yedlin emerging as a breakout player for the U.S. at the tournament.

Yedlin, now Gozo’s RSL teammate, is a great example of what the U.S. might be able to get from the young winger at the tournament. This U.S. team is not the young group of Qatar anymore. It could benefit from a wide-eyed youngster who comes in and injects a sort of awe, excitement and determination into the group. Yedlin’s supersub role added a different element for the U.S. in Brazil, and he impacted the game by helping set up the Americans’ second goal in a 2-2 draw with Portugal.

It was perhaps symbolic that Yedlin is the one who assisted Gozo’s first goal on Wednesday, which further reinforced his World Cup case. The U.S. has spent this last cycle searching for something different for a team that went into Qatar with such promise, but came out clearly needing more to truly make a run.

The U.S. has been practically begging for a player like Gozo to bolster the attack. Close your eyes and imagine that scenario late in the game: it’s the 75th minute against Turkey, and the U.S. needs a goal to secure a result. It may be crazy to consider given the extent of Gozo’s high-pressure international experience is last fall’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, but there are few players in the current pool that would instill more belief coming off the bench to make something happen than him.

When Pochettino took over the U.S., he insisted that he was always watching everyone. He has proved in his time here that he has no fear about shaking things up. In fact, that’s exactly what he has set out to do. His message has been clear and consistent: Every player in the pool has a chance, they just have to show they deserve it on the field.

Taking Gozo to the World Cup would show just how serious Pochettino is about that message. But beyond that, the teenager deserves to be at the World Cup. And he has a manager brave enough to make it a reality.

It might just be the biggest payoff of Pochettino’s earn-it approach with this group.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.