Utah isn’t technically home for Gavin Beavers, but he has made it feel that way over the years.
The Nevada native took the leap to join the Real Salt Lake Academy as a young teenager and hasn’t looked back since.
In 2021, he made his debut with the Real Monarchs, RSL’s then-USL affiliate, at the time becoming the youngest goalkeeper in league history at age 16. The following season he continued his development in MLS NEXT Pro, but it was a bit of a bumpy road.
“We started out really rough, that was tough for me,” remembered Beavers. “A lot of learning moments, goals being conceded and good opportunities.”
Working alongside goalkeeper coach Mirza Harambasic he sharpened his skills and became the 30th player in Real Salt Lake history to sign a Homegrown contract.
It was a crowded mix at the position with players like David Ochoa and Zac MacMath ahead of him, but Beavers embraced the competition and saw it as an opportunity to keep growing.
Highs and lows
RSL’s pathway from the Academy to Monarchs to the first team had already been proven successful. Beavers was eventually going to get his chance, he just had to be patient.
Five games into the 2023 season, he finally got the nod for his first MLS start — a road game at Columbus.
“Seeing [Darlington] Nagbe in the tunnel, someone you watched for so many years, and just being in that environment was crazy,” said Beavers. “This is what I’ve worked for and wanted to do since I came to RSL. It was unbelievable and I’ll never forget that.”
The result of the game wasn't necessarily memorable, as they were shut out 4-0. The eager teenager returned to Real Monarchs, and in his very next start just a few weeks after his MLS debut, his team was once again blanked 4-0.
Conceding eight combined goals in two straight games as a young ‘keeper can easily destroy self-belief.
“It was probably the toughest time. I was like, ‘Man, what am I doing? I know I’m putting in the work and time,’” Beavers told MLSsoccer.com. “In the short term, I was like this sucks. But looking back at it now, I kept pressing and doing my thing.”
Beavers bounced back with a clean sheet and a 5-1 victory with the MLS NEXT Pro side.
A special homecoming
RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni gave Beavers another vote of confidence when he started him in net for a U.S. Open Cup tilt against the Las Vegas Lights. It was a new shot with the first team in a tournament that often sees rotated squads.
And despite it being a road game for his team, it wasn’t for Beavers.
Cashman Field in Las Vegas was local for him growing up in Nevada. He actually attended the first-ever Lights game there as a kid. Now he was back home in front of family, friends, former coaches and teammates, displaying how his dedication had brought things full circle.
He went from being the kid who wanted his jersey signed by players to being the player signing jerseys after the final whistle.
To make it sweeter, RSL pulled off a wild 3-1 win in extra time after a scoreless 90 minutes in regulation.
Getting into the mix
Beavers went on to start the next few Open Cup games as they made a run in the tournament. RSL visited Portland and got a 4-3 win, then the ‘keeper earned a clean sheet at Colorado in a 1-0 victory, and in the quarterfinals they defeated the LA Galaxy, 3-2.
Their Open Cup journey ended in a 3-1 semifinal loss to Houston Dynamo FC, but Mastroeni had elected to go back to his starter MacMath in net for that one.
Due to a MacMath injury a few months prior, Beavers had gotten some more MLS starts under his belt along with the ones in the tournament. But he was clearly still No. 2 on the roster.
That’s how the rest of the season played out, with Beavers on the bench as RSL lost their Round One Best-of-3 playoff series to the Dynamo.
“It’s been a grind for me trying to get games, but Zac has been great and mentoring me,” Beavers told MLSSoccer.com. “It’s the goalkeeper union aspect of it. Having a good group makes a big difference when we’re competing for just one spot.”
This year he has gotten even more shine, picking up his first MLS clean sheet in April at Chicago and then getting another one against the Sounders in his following MLS start.
In Beavers’ nine regular-season starts this season, RSL have a 5-3-1 record with three shutouts. He also became the third goalkeeper in MLS history to win at least five games as a teenager in a single season.
His strong performances have led to him taking over in net for the remainder of the year as the Claret-and-Cobalt aim to lock up a top-four spot in the Western Conference.
Drawing motivation
There has been no shortage of inspiration for the 19-year-old to reach this point in his career. Whether it was skipping summer camp to watch Tim Howard’s remarkable performances with the United States in the 2014 World Cup, or fighting through nerves to train with RSL legend Nick Rimando.
Another pivotal factor has been Harambasic, the goalkeeper coach who has been with Beavers every step of the way in Utah.
“Without him, I don’t think that I’m here,” he said. “Obviously there are some tough love moments, but it’s because he wants the best for me. We’ve kind of progressed together — it’s great to have that connection and relationship.”
The biggest source of motivation comes from his family, specifically his dad. When Beavers was eight, his father got into a scary motorcycle accident that left him in a wheelchair. Regardless of hardships, his parents and younger sister always show support at games. After training he still calls his dad, a former soccer player himself.
The accident is a painful memory, but one that impacted monumental change for him both on and off the field.
“My dad has pushed and shown me that nothing can stop you; you put your own limits on yourself,” Beavers said. “After he got hurt it just proved to me that there’s no reason why I can’t go out and do anything.”
