PLAYER UPDATES FROM OVERSEAS often slow to a trickle during the international break, but several players eligible for the United States under-23 team were in the news in recent days. Here's a quick roundup for you.

Gooch Wins Premier League Honor

On Friday Lynden Gooch got some good news, as he was named U-21 Premier League Player of the Month for August. The Santa Cruz, Calif., native didn't make Tab Ramos' U-20 World Cup team but clearly the Sunderland prospect did not let that bit of bad news stunt his development.

Last month Gooch made his professional debut for Sunderland in a League Cup game and days later he made the bench for a Premier League contest.

Did his progress come too late to make the U.S. U-23 team for Olympic qualifying? Perhaps. But if the U-23 team qualifies for Rio de Janeiro, Gooch could force his way onto that team if he stays on this trajectory.

Cody Cropper has surgery

The news wasn’t all great for potential U.S. U-23 players, however, as the Andi Herzog's starting goalkeeper injured his knee and underwent surgery. The initial diagnosis is that he will miss between four and six weeks of action—which would rule him out of Olympic qualifiers.

Cropper has been the backup goalkeeper at MK Dons so far this season, making his first professional appearances in recent League Cup wins for the Championship club.

With Cropper out, the goalkeeping duties in Olympic qualifying will likely fall to Freiburg’s Zack Steffen or Molde’s Ethan Horvath. Steffen is coming off a very impressive U-20 World Cup display while Horvath has taken over the No. 1 job at Molde and has played in league matches, Champions League qualifiers, and Europa League qualifiers.

Zelalem Hopes to Maintain Momentum

So far Gedion Zelalem’s loan to Rangers has worked out well for both club and player. The 18-year-old Berlin native is starting and playing well for the storied Glasgow club, and even though the competition level isn't great, Zelalem is dealing with high expectations and demanding crowds.

Rangers are rolling with a perfect 15 points through five games and the club has outscored opponents 19-3 on the season. On Saturday Rangers host bottom dwellars Livingston and will be expected to win again. The big question for U.S. supporters: Will the club release Zelalem for the U-23 Olympic qualifying tournament?

Shane O’Neill Lands in Belgium

At the end of the transfer window Shane O’Neill signed with Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz in Belgium despite only recently signing for a club in Cyprus. It was a strange turn of events but the Irish-born, Colorado-raised defender is now settling in with his Belgium club.

It is safe to say that Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz need all the help it can get. It currently sits in last place in Belgium’s top flight, with just two points through six games.

O’Neill recently earned praise from Andi Herzog for his play at the team’s August camp in England. As with Zelalem, however, O'Neill's availability for the Olympic qualifying tournament may be in doubt because clubs are not obliged to release players for these matches.