Former Soquel High star Lynden Gooch, 29, signed a three-year deal with Huddersfield Town A.F.C., based in West Yorkshire, England, on Tuesday. The club competes in EFL League One, the third tier of English football.

The defender has joined Town’s First Team in Austria for the remainder of its preseason tour. The right-back completed a free transfer from Sky Bet Championship side Stoke City.

“I had time to assess my options this summer and really think about where I wanted the next step of my career to be, and after speaking to (Huddersfield Town Manager) Lee Grant, I had no doubt that Huddersfield Town was the right club to join,” Gooch told his new club in a release. “I’m an ambitious person and hungry to compete, and that’s exactly what I see across the squad here, too. I’ve been promoted from this league before and want to have that feeling again, and I know that’s what everyone at the club is going to be fighting for.”

Gooch signed with Stoke City in the Sky Bet Championship in 2023 and played two seasons in the Potteries, totaling two goals and two assists in 53 appearances.

Gooch is a product of Sunderland’s Academy of Light. He spent over a decade on Wearside after signing as a teenager. He made his debut for the club in the Premier League against Manchester City, and completed the season with 11 top flight appearances. Gooch ended his 11-year association with Sunderland after 247 appearances. He had 25 goals and 37 assists.

“An attack-minded player, his approach to the game compliments how we want to compete,” said Grant, in a release, “so I’m really happy to get this deal done and have Lynden within the group well before the season begins. Already with us in Austria, he’s now able to spend meaningful time with his new teammates.

“His experience will be invaluable both on and off the pitch for the group, and he’s another player who knows how it feels to not only be promoted from this league, but the hard work and dedication it requires to get there. A tenacious character, he’ll be a player our supporters enjoy watching represent them, too.”

In addition to playing EFL League One for part of his Sunderland tenure, Gooch served a 10-game loan with Doncaster Rovers in 2015-16. Gooch has made 155 total appearances in League One, and totaled 19 goals and 27 assists.