Damion Downs

Damion Downs

Downs with the United States in 2025
Personal information
Full name	Damion Lamar Downs [1]
Date of birth	(2004-07-06) July 6, 2004 (age 21)
Place of birth	Werneck, Germany [2]
Height	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) [2]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Southampton
Number	42
Youth career
	1. FC Schweinfurt 05
2018–2020	FC Ingolstadt
2020–2023	1. FC Köln
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023–2024	1. FC Köln II	22	(7)
2023–2025	1. FC Köln	39	(12)
2025–	Southampton	3	(0)
International career‡
2024	Germany U20	6	(2)
2025–	United States	6	(0)
Medal record Representing   United States Men's football CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner-up 2025 Canada–United States
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:15, August 30, 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of September 9, 2025

Damion Lamar Downs (born July 6, 2004) is a professional soccer player who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Southampton. Born in Germany, he represents the United States national team.

Early life

Downs was born in Germany to an American father and German mother. When he was one year old, he and his family moved to the United States where he was raised in Texas for much of his childhood, played American football, and adopted English as his first language. Downs did not play soccer until nine years old when he moved back to Germany. ^[3]

Club career

1. FC Köln

Downs is a youth product of 1. FC Schweinfurt 05 and FC Ingolstadt. ^[4] On September 28, 2020, he joined the youth academy of 1. FC Köln. ^[5] He was promoted to 1. FC Köln II in 2023, ^[6] and signed his first professional contract with the club on May 2, 2023 until 2026. ^[7] On September 23, 2023, he debuted with the senior Köln team as a late substitute in a 2–1 Bundesliga loss to Werder Bremen. ^[8]

Downs scored his first career Bundesliga goal on March 9, 2024 against Borussia Mönchengladbach. ^[9] On May 11, 2024, he scored the match-winner in stoppage time against Union Berlin. Downs finished the season with two Bundesliga goals in just 173 minutes played, receiving limited opportunities in his club's relegation. ^[10]

In the 2024–25 1. FC Köln season in the 2. Bundesliga, Downs helped Köln to the league title and automatic promotion to the Bundesliga. He had 11 goals and six assists in just 1,964 minutes played across all competitions, including a goal and assist against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024–25 DFB-Pokal quarterfinals. Downs finished the season tied for the lead in goalscoring for his club. ^{[11] [12]}

Southampton

On July 9, 2025, Downs joined Southampton on a four-year contract. ^[13] He made his debut on August 9, in a 2–1 victory against Wrexham. ^[14]

International career

Downs holds dual citizenship, having been born in Germany to an American father and German mother, and having been raised in both countries. ^[15] In April 2022, he was called up to a training camp for the United States U20s in Carson, California. ^[16] In May 2022, he was named to the United States U20 provisional roster for the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship but did not make the final squad. ^[17] In September 2022, he was put on standby for the Germany U19s for 2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification but did not make the final squad. ^[18]

Downs was called up to a training camp in June 2024 for the United States U23s in Kansas City, Kansas ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics but was not named to the final Olympics squad. ^[19] He was called up to the Germany U20s for sets of friendlies in each of September, October, and November 2024. ^[20]

On May 22, 2025, Downs was called up by United States national team coach Mauricio Pochettino for training camp in Chicago ahead of matches against Turkey and Switzerland. ^[21] On June 5, 2025, Downs was named to the USMNT final roster for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. ^[22]

In the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal match against Costa Rica, Downs scored the winning penalty in the shootout to send the United States to the semi-finals. ^{[23] [24]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played August 30, 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1. FC Köln II	2022–23	Regionalliga West	3	0	—		—		—		3	0
	2023–24	Regionalliga West	19	7	—		—		—		19	7
	Total		22	7	—		—		—		22	7
1. FC Köln	2023–24	Bundesliga	10	2	—		—		—		10	2
	2024–25	2. Bundesliga	29	10	3	1	—		—		32	11
	Total		39	12	3	1	—		—		42	13
Southampton	2025–26 [25]	Championship	3	0	0	0	2	0	—		5	0
Career total			64	19	3	1	2	0	0	0	69	20

1. Includes DFB-Pokal
2. Includes EFL Cup

International

As of match played September 9, 2025 ^[26]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
United States	2025	6	0
Total		6	0

Honors

1.FC Koln

• 2. Bundesliga: 2024–25 ^[27]

References

1. Damion Downs at WorldFootball.net
2. "Damion Lamar Downs | 1. FC Köln | Player Profile | Bundesliga". bundesliga.com - the official Bundesliga website.
3. "After Cologne first team breakthrough, Downs pushing for Olympic spot". American Soccer Now. June 11, 2024.
4. "Schweinfurter Talent hofft auf Profi-Karriere". mainpost.de. January 15, 2019.
5. "Nachwuchs-Talent Damion Downs wechselt zum "Effzeh"". September 28, 2020.
6. Diller, Josef (February 7, 2023). "Ups and Downs: Sturm-Talent auf dem Weg zu den Profis".
7. "1. FC Köln stattet U19-Pokalheld Damion Downs mit Profivertrag aus". 90min.de. May 2, 2023.
8. "W. Bremen 2-1 Colonia: results, summary and goals". AS.com. September 23, 2023.
9. "DRAMATIC DERBY DRAW IN GLADBACH". FC Cologne. March 9, 2024.
10. "UNION LOSE IN KÖLN". Union Berlin. May 11, 2024.
11. "A look back at the 2024-25 Americans Abroad season". SBI Soccer. June 2, 2025.
12. "DFB-POKAL PLAYER RATINGS Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 1.FC Köln (3-2 AET)". Get Football News Germany. February 5, 2025.
13. "Saints secure signing of striker Downs". Southampton FC. July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
14. Pritchard, Dafydd (August 10, 2025). "Southampton 2–1 Wrexham". BBC Sport. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
15. "ASN: After Cologne first team breakthrough, Downs pushing for Olympic spot". www.americansoccernow.com.
16. "VARAS CALLS 22 PLAYERS FOR U-20 MEN'S YOUTH NATIONAL TRAINING CAMP IN CARSON, CALIF". US Soccer. April 20, 2022.
17. "Slonina, Cowell and Gomez headline USMNT U-20 provisional roster for Concacaf Championship". SBI Soccer. May 28, 2022.
18. "Einladung für Damion Downs: DFB und USA kämpfen um Kölner Sturm-Juwel". EXPRESS. September 20, 2022.
19. "TWENTY-FIVE PLAYERS CALLED TO U.S. MEN'S OLYMPIC SOCCER TEAM FOR FINAL PRE-OLYMPIC TRAINING CAMP AND MATCH AGAINST JAPAN IN KANSAS CITY". US Soccer. May 29, 2024.
20. "U20: Damion Downs mit Doppelpack, Pauli mit Vorlage, Finkgräfe mit Startelf-Debüt".
21. "Pochettino Names 27-Player Roster for Training Camp ahead of June Matches Against Turkey and Switzerland". United States Soccer Federation . May 22, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
22. "Mauricio Pochettino Selects 26-player Roster for 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup". United States Soccer Federation . May 22, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
23. "USA 2-2 Costa Rica (Jun 29, 2025) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
24. "U.S. Men's National Team Advances to Gold Cup Semifinals with Win over Costa Rica in Penalty Kicks". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
25. "Games played by Damion Downs in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
26. "Damion Downs". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
27. "Uth mit dem Schlusspunkt: Köln steigt als Zweitliga-Meister in die Bundesliga auf". kicker.

External links

• Damion Downs at Soccerway
• Damion Downs at DFB (also available in German )