Real Salt Lake's young stars lead win over Seattle in home opener

Teenagers Aiden Hezarkhani and Ari Piol scored the goals in RSL's 2-1 victory over the Sounders.

Mar. 2, 2026 at 2:55pm

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Real Salt Lake's young players Aiden Hezarkhani, 18, and Ari Piol, 21, powered the team to a 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders in their home opener on Saturday night. Hezarkhani scored his first-ever MLS goal, while Piol also found the net before leaving the match with an injury. Head coach Pablo Mastroeni praised the skill and mindset of his youthful roster, saying the combination of young talent and experienced veterans is the "perfect" formula for success.

Why it matters

Real Salt Lake has long been known for developing young talent through its academy system, and this win showcases the club's ability to integrate those homegrown players into the first team. The victory also extends Seattle's 14-year winless streak in Sandy, Utah, underlining RSL's home field advantage.

The details

Hezarkhani's first MLS goal was initially credited to teammate Zavier Gozo, but quickly corrected. Gozo celebrated the goal with Hezarkhani as if he had scored it himself. Piol, 21, also found the net for RSL before leaving the match with an injury.

  • Real Salt Lake hosted the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, March 2, 2026.
  • Aiden Hezarkhani scored his first-ever MLS goal in the match.

The players

Aiden Hezarkhani

An 18-year-old forward who came up through the Real Salt Lake Academy and scored his first MLS goal in the win over Seattle.

Ari Piol

A 21-year-old midfielder who also scored a goal for Real Salt Lake before leaving the match with an injury.

Pablo Mastroeni

The head coach of Real Salt Lake, who praised the skill and mindset of his young roster after the win.

Zavier Gozo

A Real Salt Lake player who initially had Aiden Hezarkhani's goal credited to him, but then celebrated the goal with Hezarkhani.

Seattle Sounders

The opposing team, who extended their 14-year winless streak in Sandy, Utah with the loss to Real Salt Lake.

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What they’re saying

“With youth surrounded by really good, experienced players, it's the perfect combination. You get guys like [Zavier] Gozo, who will just run, and you got Aiden, who is not scared to have someone on his back, and he's willing to turn and meg the guy and keep going, so youth is beautiful. At times for us older guys, it seems like it's a bit ignorant, but that's the beauty of youth because us older guys are all jaded.”

— Pablo Mastroeni, Head Coach, Real Salt Lake

“[My first MLS goal] was better in the dream to be honest,”

— Aiden Hezarkhani

What’s next

Real Salt Lake will travel to Atlanta to face Atlanta United FC on Saturday. Atlanta United FC is still searching for its first win of the season.

The takeaway

Real Salt Lake's ability to integrate young, homegrown talent like Aiden Hezarkhani and Ari Piol into the first team has been a key part of the club's success. This win over the Seattle Sounders showcases the bright future of RSL's youth movement and the team's strong home field advantage in Sandy, Utah.