From 'be patient' to breakthrough, a look at Aiden Hezarkhani's rise with RSL

SANDY — There was a moment in Los Angeles on Sunday that won't show up in the box score.

Aiden Hezarkhani collected a through ball from Diego Luna down the left side of the box and got a step ahead of Jakob Glesnes, a former MLS Defender of the Year and three-time All-Star. Glesnes grabbed a fistful of jersey and tried to yank him down, willing to concede a yellow card to keep Aiden away from the goal.

Many players would have gone down under way less contact, willing to settle for a free kick in a dangerous spot. Hezarkhani just kept driving.

He head-faked right, then cut left, and as Glesnes tried to slide tackle the ball away, Aiden chopped back to the right, left Glesnes on the ground, and slammed a pass across goal to rising RSL star Zavier Gozo, who uncorked a rocket that caromed off the post and into the back of the diving goalkeeper before ricocheting into the net.

Officially, it went down as an own goal — no assist is listed. In reality, it was something else entirely: a glimpse of what Hezarkhani is becoming with Real Salt Lake.

It forces a question of not who is Aiden Hezarkhani? But how did he get here? Because a year ago, he was still waiting.

In May, Hezarkhani was making noise with the Monarchs, and made his first match day roster with the first team. He didn't get into that match, but afterward he made a promise to the fans.

"Be patient," he said. "I'll be there soon — hopefully helping the team to win more games."

It came across not as boasting, but as a quiet promise — to himself as much as to the fans.

He wasn't talking about a moment, he was talking about a process. Hezarkhani later made his Real Salt Lake debut as a 79th minute sub against the Galaxy at home, then played the second half of RSL's next road match in DC last year.

While those were his only minutes last season for the first team, he continued to hone his craft and show what he could do with the Monarchs, where he finished second on the team with six goals to go with four assists.

After another strong preseason in Portugal with the first team, that hard work is starting to pay off.

From patience to production

Watching an interview clip after training on Wednesday, Hezarkhani smiles when asked what he thinks about his promise from a year ago.

"It's obviously, first of all, just happiness," he said. "Knowing that I had the confidence back then to be at this level and help impact the team positively."

That confidence is still on display, and the league is taking notice.

He scored Real Salt Lake's first goal of the 2026 season at home against Seattle, arriving on the back post for a one time finish. Then came another goal in Atlanta, where he controlled a difficult pass off his chest, held off a defender long enough to get the ball out of his feet and hit a rocket into the top corner. In Los Angeles, it was the run that broke a defense open.

The goal production matters, of course, but the bravery and belief behind it matters more because it indicates there are more goals coming.

"I think finishing last year and then coming into preseason, I really felt confident," Hezarkhani said. "Those first few games, obviously, gave me a lot of momentum. So I think those few moments really helped me. ... Just trying to survive."

The version of Hezarkhani making those plays would have been hard to recognize not long ago. He made his first preseason trip with the first team to Portugal in 2024, before he'd even played for the Monarchs. Asked how that trip went for him, he said simply: "I was just trying to survive."

If that player saw him now.

"Obviously, that younger player would be quite proud of himself," he said. "But there's still a lot of work to go and a long way ahead of me. So I think it's important I just stay grounded and keep working."

That balance of confidence without complacency has defined his rise.

The pathway at work

MLS is littered with clubs who preach about their commitment to development, but coaches who are judged solely on results are not always willing to live with the mistakes and often erratic play of younger players.

But Hezarkhani's emergence with RSL isn't accidental. It is, in many ways, the blueprint for a club that constantly talks about "winning together through development" but is also committed to actually doing that.

Hezarkhani came through the academy, he developed with the Monarchs, he filled in at training with the first team when injuries opened a door, he earned minutes, and he kept learning. Now, he's contributing at the first-team level.

Inside Real Salt Lake, that progression is not just encouraged, it's expected.

"It's just keeping that confidence in myself and moving forward," Hezarkhani said. "Sometimes it's not always going to be easy, but it's just good to have a strong mindset."

For RSL assistant coach Jamal Campbell-Ryce, who coached him at multiple levels, the significance is clear.

"He's living it," Campbell-Ryce said. "I think that's the only way to answer it. He's actually living it."

Campbell-Ryce has seen the full arc up close as he rose through RSL's coaching ranks. He coached Hezarkhani from the U-18s to the Monarchs and to earning Real Salt Lake minutes.

"It's been coming on (for) three years now, but his journey is just beginning," he said. "It's just starting."

And Hezarkhani isn't alone.

"The proof is really there," Campbell-Ryce said, pointing to players like Gozo and others rising through the same system like Luca Moisa and Griffin Dillon. "These guys are living it every day."

What the fans don't see

The goals get the attention, the dribbles make the highlights, but the growth has come elsewhere, too.

"Goal contributions are pretty important," Hezarkhani said, "but I would say helping the team in other ways. Not just scoring and assisting, but defending. It's so important, especially at this club."

That part of his game has been a focus internally.

"We're just trying to make sure he gets better at the other things," Campbell-Ryce said, "like the defensive side of the game."

What already separates him, though, is harder to teach.

"I think the biggest thing about Aiden is he can go both ways comfortably," Campbell-Ryce said. "He's left-footed, but he plays off both feet so well. That unpredictability- you don't know whether he's going inside or outside."

That unpredictability is what defenders fear. And, increasingly, what fans are starting to expect.

Playing free

Ask Hezarkhani what he wants supporters to see when he gets on the ball, and the answer is simple.

"The excitement factor," he said. "Knowing that when I get the ball, I'm going to produce something and keep the defenders on their toes."

That mindset doesn't exist in isolation. When asked about his willingness to play aggressively, knowing his ideas won't always pay off, he says it's encouraged. And it's reinforced by the environment around him.

"The main people that help support me are the team and the coaches," he said. "They know that I can do a lot when I'm playing fully free and confident. So it's just knowing that they have my back and I can produce for them."

It shows up in moments like Los Angeles — moments where hesitation disappears, and instinct takes over.

The RSL way

For head coach Pablo Mastroeni, the goal has been alignment across every level of the club.

"It becomes an RSL way," Mastroeni said. "That helps younger players clearly understand expectations, and there shouldn't be much change when they move up."

Hezarkhani is living evidence that the RSL way can produce results in the short term while developing players for the future.

With a summer transfer window on the horizon, and growing interest in young stars like Gozo and Luna, developing the next group of players becomes even more crucial. Now, it seems that wave is already here.

As Hezarkhani's performances stack up, so does interest from outside MLS. Sources confirm that there have been scouts from England (Premier League and Champions League) and Spain (La Liga) watching Aiden from the stands during RSL's last two home matches, and they'll be there again this Saturday.

Just getting started

Even now, as his role grows, Hezarkhani's perspective hasn't changed much. He still talks about staying grounded — about earning minutes, about continuing to improve.

He still credits his family, especially his father, for the work behind the rise. And he still carries the same belief that showed up in that quote a year ago when asked about Real Salt Lake's approach to match days.

"Knowing that we're better than the opponent," he said, "and putting that into the game."

The promise he made wasn't about arriving, it was about becoming.

If the last few months are any indication, the wait is over. And Hezarkhani is just getting started.

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