GOAL breaks down why the 20-year-old striker is suddenly in the mix with the USMNT
There’s nothing good about an injury crisis, and the U.S. men’s national team is experiencing one at the striker position right now.
Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are out. Haji Wright and Daryl Dike, two others based in Europe, are just coming back, with the latter’s absence being extremely long-term. The MLS season is just starting and Josh Sargent is fit for now, making him the defacto starter right now, but his own injury history doesn’t exactly inspire confidence given the matches that separate the U.S. men’s national team and the CONCACAF Nations League later this month.
Even in a crisis, though, there could be a silver lining, and if that silver lining is an introduction for Damion Downs, maybe this will all be worth it.
As he continues to make waves in the 2. Bundesliga, where he’s scored nine goals, Downs has been included in Mauricio Pochettino’s 60-man preliminary squad for the CONCACAF Champions League. There is no guarantee that he’ll be in the squad, but his inclusion does send Downs a strong message about a potential U.S. future.
Thus far, Downs has flip-flopped between the USMNT and Germany on the youth level, which means the 20-year-old’s international future remains up in the air. There’s no clear path to minutes on either side. The USMNT, for the first time in a while, has multiple legitimate starting candidates at striker whereas Germany is, well, Germany.
The CONCACAF Nations League could end up being Downs’ big break, though, and it could end up being the turning point for a dual national whose stock continues to rise thanks to his goals this season.