IT'S SAFE TO SAY that Lynden Gooch's summer didn't go according to plan. Despite playing in the United States' under-20 World Cup qualifying tournament in January, the Santa Cruz, Calif., native failed to make the final roster and ended up watching the New Zealand tournament from afar.

Undaunted, Gooch used the setback as motivation. 

“I really just worked hard over the summer to make sure I was fit and had the best chance to have a good start to the season,” Gooch told American Soccer Now. “I think that’s paid off. So it was really frustrating but I think I’ve used it in a positive way. I’ve tried to come back out and show everyone they’ve got that wrong.”

Last week the 19-year-old attacker received some validation, as he was named the U-21 Premier League Player of the Month. He scored three goals in three games with Sunderland's U-21 side and made the bench with the first team on August 25 for a League Cup match against Exeter City. In the 58th minute of that contest, with the score tied 3-3, Sunderland head coach Dick Advocaat called on Gooch to make his professional debut.

“We had made two substitutions already,” Gooch recalled. “Our right back then went down injured and I thought he was going to put another defender on. I thought the opportunity was gone. Defenders were getting warmed up but all of a sudden they called me in. I was just excited.

"I had been playing well for the U-21s. I wanted to prove that I was good enough and make a good impression.”

Gooch did just that. While he did not score or register an assist in his 32 minutes of action, he held his own and Sunderland dominated en route to a 6-3 win. Four days later, Gooch was named to the matchday 18 in a Premier League match against Aston Villa, although he did not see any action in that contest.  

It’s been that kind of month for Gooch who is now consistently training with the first team and has developed a good relationship with Advocaat. Even with Sunderland being active in the transfer window, Gooch is still in the picture with Sunderland’s first team and he was the 19th player—just missing out on the bench—in last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Tottenham.

Despite Sunderland's slow start this season—the Black Cats are in 19th place—Gooch is optimistic and believes the team will do well if dragged into a relegation battle. He also noted that the team played well against Tottenham even though it ended up with a loss.

And as for his personal goals?

"Hopefully keep breaking into the squad,” Gooch said. “I am training with the first team every day and you learn a lot from experienced pros. It’s going really well. We have a big squad of about 23-24 players so there are a lot of players that get left out on matchdays.

"When I play for the U-21s, I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing—scoring goals and creating chances for my teammates. If I am not playing for the first team that much, obviously I would like to go out on loan at some point to get some more first-team football.

"I know I am good enough and I am hungry for that now.”

Speaking with refreshing candor, Gooch said that much of his disappointment with missing out on the U-20 World Cup centers on his belief that he was never given a chance to show what he could do in his best position.

At Sunderland, where he has been part of the club’s youth teams since he was 10 years old, the staff knows him well. Sunderland plays him up top, predominantly as a supporting striker. Short but physically strong and technically gifted, Gooch combines well and can finish with style.

For the U.S. U-20s, however, he was frequently pushed back into the midfield or shunted out wide.

“With the U.S. team I never really got a chance to play that position. I think that is where any team is going to get the best out of me. [Sunderland] gave me that opportunity here since preseason, and I’ve taken it quite well, honestly.”

Looking back, he wonders what might have happened if he was on the U-20 team. The United States lost in the quarterfinals, via shootout, to eventual champions Serbia. But the team struggled to generate offense against quality sides. In fact, Ramos' team scored just one goal in its last 307 minutes of the tournament—against Croatia, Colombia, and Serbia.

Gooch believes he could have helped if given the chance to join the attack.

“If I wasn’t very frustrated, there would be something wrong,” Gooch said. “I thought it was harsh because whenever I was called upon, I did my job. I played in positions I have never played in before. It was harsh to take because I don’t feel I had the opportunity to show what I could have done in my actual position. Because I could play multiple positions, which is a good thing, it killed me.

"It was really frustrating because I definitely felt that I should have been there, but it didn’t go my way. I just have to get on with that and make sure I have my head on right.”

U.S. U-20 head coach Tab Ramos acknowledges that finding a position for Gooch was a challenge and that leaving him off the World Cup roster was difficult. Still, he believes that Gooch has potential to be part of U.S. teams in the future and is not surprised but his success with Sunderland.

“Lynden Gooch will be a very important player for us,” Ramos said. “I think he has that kind of potential. The issue we had with the current U-20 group for Lynden is that I didn't have a best position for him. I think he's more of a central player—either as a second striker or as a central midfielder. In those positions I felt more comfortable that we had other types of players who could contribute to the team more.

“It's hard to say what was the hardest decision to make for the World Cup but Lynden was definitely one of them because he is always willing to do whatever it takes for the team and he's a good, solid player no matter what position you put him in. We felt that with only 21 spots available for the World Cup, we wanted guys who were more specialists in certain positions.”

What is next for Gooch on the international front is uncertain. Making the Premier League would certainly raise his stock in the eyes of U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The most likely scenario, however, is that he joins the U-23 team later in the cycle should it qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

While he grew up in California, Gooch is also eligible to play for England and Ireland. In 2013 he actually played for Ireland’s U-19 team in a pair of friendlies. The snub from the U.S. U-20 team has not changed his desire to stick with the Stars and Stripes.

“I am eligible but I’ve always said that I want to represent the country where I was born and raised,” he stressed. “The U.S. is still my main choice but anything can happen.”

As for the U-23 team, Gooch is open to the idea of participating but he is also not waiting by the phone. For now he is just trying to build on the success of what has been a fantastic month.

“I am not thinking about that right now,” Gooch said. “I am just trying to focus on football here at Sunderland because last season I was away a lot and in the end it didn’t even pay off to go to the World Cup. So it was quite frustrating for me.

“But if they called, I don’t know how I could say no,” he quickly pointed out. “It’s always a great honor to represent your country."

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.