'Work in progress' - Can USMNT's Damion Downs live up to expectations at Southampton after a risky move from Koln with World Cup on the line?

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.

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