FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Folarin Balogun, who scored three goals at the World Cup, has just resumed play in the French league, while Haji Wright is yet to see action in England this season.
Ricardo Pepi was removed from the lineup at the last moment due to injury, and Patrick Agyemang is still recuperating from a serious injury that kept him out of summer competitions in North America.
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U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s initial training camp for the new World Cup cycle includes four friendlies over 11 days across three time zones, featuring a mix of inexperienced and seasoned players.
However, it is notably missing a reliable striker.
Due to injuries and a focus on youth talent, Pochettino has turned to his roster for five forwards who have yet to score at the senior level. Notably, only one of these players has previous experience with the full squad, and he wasn’t part of the original lineup.
Damion Downs, it’s your moment.
As athletes began gathering in the Atlanta area for Saturday’s match against Peru in Orlando (4:30 p.m. ET, TNT), Downs received an emergency call-up after Pepi sustained an injury early in PSV Eindhoven’s game on Sunday.
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“Every situation is an opportunity,” said Downs, who recently signed on loan with Major League Soccer’s St. Louis City after moving from Southampton in England’s second tier. “I’m here for a reason, so I plan to perform at my best and learn as much as I can.”
Among the 28 players, 13 are vying for their first international cap, with two others having just one appearance. Therefore, Downs stands out as a veteran with six international matches under his belt.
Emergency call-up Damion Downs (9) is the most experienced striker in a young and largely untested USMNT attack.
(Jurij Kodrun/USSF via Getty Images)
The 22-year-old, standing 6-foot-4, was part of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup team, participating in four matches as a substitute and scoring the decisive penalty during the quarterfinal shootout against Costa Rica. He was called back for a subsequent camp in September but missed the chance to compete in the World Cup.
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With Balogun, Pepi, and Wright unavailable for this window, and young forwards Julian Hall, Justin Ellis, and Cavan Sullivan looking to make their debuts, Downs is stepping into the spotlight.
He will reunite with senior players and his U.S. under-21 teammates for matches against Peru, followed by Chile on Tuesday in St. Louis, Mexico on October 3 in greater Phoenix, and Canada on October 6 in St. Paul.
“It’s great to see everyone again,” he shared.
However, Downs hasn’t been in the best scoring shape, with no goals in 30 league appearances over 17 months with four different clubs: Köln, Southampton, Hamburg, and St. Louis. His sole competitive goal during that time came while playing for the U.S. under-21s in a friendly against Ukraine in June.
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With St. Louis, he has yet to score in four short appearances, including one U.S. Open Cup match.
Pochettino left him off the initial roster last Thursday, but called him up after Pepi’s injury.
“I had to gather all my belongings from the [St. Louis] training facility, but I was thrilled to receive the call,” Downs explained. He made it in time for Monday morning’s practice.
Pochettino opted for Downs instead of Toronto’s Josh Sargent, 26, who hasn’t scored for the U.S. in nearly seven years, and Vancouver’s Brian White, 30, a strong MLS scorer and 2025 Gold Cup participant.
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In addition to the strikers missing—who combined for 32 international goals—attackers Christian Pulisic (33 goals), Weston McKennie (12), Brenden Aaronson (nine), and Tim Weah (seven) were absent for various reasons.
Among those in camp, midfielder Gio Reyna leads with 10 international goals, while no other player has more than five.
Strikers play a crucial role not only in scoring but also in drawing center-backs, distributing passes, and maintaining a presence in the box. It’s worth noting that non-strikers can score too, and five players who scored in the World Cup—midfielders Malik Tillman, Reyna, and Sebastian Berhalter, along with defenders Alex Freeman and Auston Trusty—are in camp.
Downs, who was born in Germany but grew up in Texas before returning to Germany at age 9, has demonstrated he can score. In the 2024-25 season, at 20, he netted ten goals, helping Köln secure the second-division title and earn promotion to the Bundesliga, contributing a goal and assist in a German Cup quarterfinal against Bayer Leverkusen.
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This was followed by a $9.5 million transfer to Southampton in the English second tier, where he struggled, failing to score in 14 matches across all competitions before moving on loan to Hamburg with no goals in 12 appearances.
Now with St. Louis, he is beginning to find his footing.
“I’m improving,” he remarked. “I felt I had some key moments, and I’m eager to get more playing time to demonstrate my abilities further.”
At the U.S. camp, Downs has joined a trio of rising stars aiming to make an impression in their first senior camp: Hall, 18, with 10 goals and five assists for Red Bull New York; Ellis, 19, with one goal and 10 assists for Orlando City; and 16-year-old Sullivan, who has impressed with seven goals and 12 assists for the rejuvenated Philadelphia Union.
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Pochettino has also welcomed three young European wingers to the camp for the first time—Mathis Albert of Borussia Dortmund, Cole Campbell from Elversberg, and Zavier Gozo of Crystal Palace—as well as central attacking midfielders Adri Mehmeti and Brooklyn Raines.
“This camp is all about seizing opportunities,” said Tyler Adams, a midfielder with two World Cup appearances. “It’ll be interesting to see who steps up and shows they can compete against strong teams.”
Fan Take: This news is critical for soccer enthusiasts as it highlights the U.S. team’s current struggle in finding offensive depth, especially with key strikers sidelined. The emergence of new talent like Damion Downs could reshape the team’s trajectory, paving the way for future success on the international stage.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
