Damion Downs doesn't particularly enjoy attention. He told GOAL as much earlier this month. With his hood pulled up, Downs spoke softly about what felt like a life-changing summer for club and country.
"I don't like the spotlight so much, you know what I mean?" Downs said from the U.S. men's national team hotel during the most recent international break. "I like my privacy. I don't really mind people not knowing too much about me. At the same time, I'm not that exciting anyway."
So, when Downs seemingly deleted social media earlier this week, it wasn't too out of character.
It came, unfortunately, as Downs did find himself in that spotlight, and not for the reasons he'd want to be. Just weeks into life as a Southampton player, the striker has already become a lightning rod for abuse and criticism as the 21-year-old has been unable to hit the ground running.
The criticism, for the most part, has been unfair. Very few players adapt to English football instantly, and even fewer do so before turning 22. Downs arrived at Southampton this summer with a reported $9.5 million price tag, which naturally brought high expectations. In the opening weeks of his first Championship season, those expectations haven’t yet been met. Unsurprisingly, social media has had its say, and with Southampton struggling, Downs has found himself singled out.
So what comes next for the young USMNT star? Just seven games into his first season with a new club, it seems that Downs is already at a turning point as the spotlight is fixed on him.
The season so far
Downs's big move to Southampton was preceded by plenty of hype. He arrived fresh off a breakout season in the 2. Bundesliga with FC Koln, whom he helped lead to promotion with 10 league goals. Instead of helping lead Koln into Germany's top flight, he made the move to England's second division, taking a risk to join the Saints.
The keyword there is risk. Downs could have easily remained at Koln to play in a bigger league. Instead, he saw Southampton as an opportunity to both develop and, hopefully, get a crack at the Premier League.
“I think Southampton is a big club that should be in the Premier League, and that’s my goal – to help the team as much as I can to bring the club back to the Premier League," he told the club's official website after signing. "The Premier League is the best league you can possibly play in. Being able to promote the team and the whole club to the Premier League would be a big honour for me.
“Obviously promotion is the No. 1 [target], and for me personally I just want to score as many goals as possible, help the club and help the team.”
It started well enough. Downs scored a preseason goal against Espanyol, seemingly impressing USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino, who happened to be in attendance. He assisted a goal in the league opener against Wrexham, too, announcing himself as a difference-maker early on in the Championship season. Now, six games later in all competitions, he remains scoreless as he searches for his first official Saints goal.
There's a caveat, of course. Downs has played just 151 Championship minutes, making just one start this season. In those games, he has generally struggled on the ball. This week, Southampton boss Will Still, who left Downs out of the squad for two fixtures this week, against Middlesbrough and Sheffield United, called for Downs to be more imposing and to use his 6-4 frame more effectively.
“We have to encourage him to pick a fight with someone and make it difficult, and then get into the game that way," Still said.
It is clear, though, that Downs is still in the adjustment phase.
The realities of a move
Speaking to GOAL earlier this month, Downs was largely thankful to those who have helped him adjust to life in England. The move from Cologne to Southampton wasn't easy, but his family was helping more than he could explain.
"It's been very, very busy, but, thankfully, I have a good family around," he said. "They've been taking care of most of the things, so I don't have to take care of it, and I'm thankful for that. They've been helping me as much as possible."
The move was just one piece of Downs' summer of change. Prior to his Southampton transfer, Downs made his USMNT debut this summer, and he ended up playing a big part in the team's Gold Cup run. His penalty kick sealed a shootout win over Costa Rica in the quarterfinal round, helping the U.S. survive despite the presence of Keylor Navas on the other side.
In general, it was transition after transition for Downs. From the USMNT, he went straight to Europe for preseason. Just a few weeks into the season, he was back stateside with the U.S. to face South Korea and Japan. It's been a whirlwind, to put it lightly, which could explain some of the early-season difficulties for Southampton's summer signing.
Still, moves like this carry inherent uncertainty. Staying at Koln would have been the safer path, even with the chance to play in Germany’s top flight. Downs chose instead to challenge himself in England during a World Cup year, with no guarantee of immediate success, even if the long-term rewards could be significant.
USMNT impact
Ahead of the season, American soccer's striker race centered around the Championship. It seemed that the top two spots on the depth chart were claimed by Folarin Balogun in France and Ricardo Pepi in the Netherlands. Behind them, though, were a group of Championship strikers that looked set to go goal-for-goal in pursuit of a World Cup spot. Downs, one of the newer members of the race, would be directly compared to Josh Sargent, Haji Wright, and Patrick Agyemang as they fought to be part of next summer's team.
Sargent, of course, started hot, scoring for fun before slowing down post-international break. Wright has shined for Coventry City, making his claim to be a part of the upcoming camps. Agyemang, meanwhile, started the season injured, but has already set up two goals for Derby County as he hunts down a goal of his own.
And then there's Downs. He's had chances to score, but so far, that first goal remains elusive. If Downs is to get into the World Cup picture, though, the goals will have to come. Same for Sargent, Wright, and Agyemang, too.
"Seven or eight months is a pretty long time," Downs said earlier this month when asked about the World Cup, "So I'm not too focused on it. I just want to be here and represent my country when I am here. I'm not one to focus on the future and not be there for the present and what's going on right now. I'm focused on the now because the work that I put in right now is what it will take for me to be there."
Time on his side
The season is still young, and games come thick and fast in the Championship. The Saints face Agyemang's Derby County on Saturday. Fortunes can change quickly for a striker. Downs, given his pedigree, is a prime candidate for the ketchup theory - once the goals come, they may not stop.
Southampton, though, will need things to change quickly. Through seven games, the Saints, one of the relegated Premier League teams, have claimed just seven points. That leaves them 19th and fighting for survival, even this early in the season.
Still is keeping the faith, though, particularly in Downs. He believes that the club's big signing has a part to play, as long as everyone shows the patience needed for him to get there.
“It’s a work in progress," Still said last week. "Not all transfers are going to come in and hit the ground running and click and understand the culture of the league, the opposition, and our team itself. Damion started on Saturday and came on tonight, and played a good chunk of the second half. We just need to keep working with him and helping him."
Until then, the spotlight will remain on Downs. A goal or two will change the reason for that spotlight as Downs looks to finally make his mark on his new club.