A look at Lynden Gooch’s Sunderland debut and future

It’s not often a 20-year-old American gets a start in the opening match of the Premier League season. Sunderland handed Lynden Gooch a place in their starting lineup on Saturday against Manchester City.

Our Brendan Joseph gave his thoughts on the youngster’s debut right here.

Roker Report, our fellow SB Nation pals who cover Sunderland, examined his debut and asked the question of whether or not he should get another start this weekend at home against Middlesbrough. So far, the poll results are heavily in favor (70%) of Gooch getting another chance.

The fine folks behind the @NatsAbroad twitter account put together an every touch video of his debut. Watch his performance and judge for yourself.

After seeing his debut, it’s easy to see why Sunderland trusted him enough to give him a start already. He’s cut from the Alejandro Bedoya mold, a workhorse midfielder who isn’t flashy but works his tail off.

Every club needs a player like this, especially a side who is inevitably going to be in the thick of a relegation battle. You need players who are going to fight tooth and nail to help your team muster all the points you possibly can. This is why the prospect of playing time seems to be good for Gooch going forward. While he may not be a consistent starter for Sunderland, he’s going to be a very nice complimentary piece with a flashy, skillful player like Adnan Januzaj in competition with him. David Moyes is a veteran of the Premier League, he’ll understand that you need reliable players who work hard and that’ll benefit Gooch.

Will Lynden Gooch ever become a star? Probably not. But, his ceiling as a professional, both at the club level and international level, is still pretty high. Players with his skill set are very useful and will always have a place.

It should be a fun season to watch him grow as a player. Hopefully he does get his fair share of chances in the Premier League. You can bet that if he does, Jurgen Klinsmann will notice and give him a firsthand look rather soon.

That’s my take on Gooch. What did you think? Am I underselling him or being too optimistic? Let us know in the comments.