'You feel like brothers' - German-Americans Damion Downs and Noahkai Banks forge fast friendship with USMNT as both push for World Cup spots under Mauricio Pochettino

Early on, Banks adopted the nickname Noki. It's almost exclusively what he goes by these days. Back in Germany, no one he met would ever say "Noahkai" correctly, so he just made things easy. Noki it was.

The central defender, who turns 19 in December, introduces himself that way even today. It's what his teammates call him, and that's surreal to him, in a way. He was the youngest player in the USMNT's September camp, with Alex Freeman, the next youngest, three years older. This USMNT squad was filled with guys he grew up watching. When Christian Pulisic debuted for Borussia Dortmund in 2016, Banks was just nine. Now, they're teammates.

"Christian Pulisic, he was a small idol for me growing up," Banks says. "It's so cool to just play with these guys. The level is so high. From the first training, there was a huge difference, but it's fun."

Born in Honolulu, Banks has spent a large portion of his life in Germany. He grew up playing handball and tennis in the small town of Dietmannsried before joining FC Augsburg at the U10 level. His rise through the ranks has been steady, culminating in his senior debut in January. It came just weeks after his 18th birthday.

"I got scouted in a football camp that I went to with my friends," Banks recalls. "I went straight through the youth teams. I kept moving up the age groups, which made me realize, 'Hey, I might be pretty good.' I kept moving up step by step. For me, my debut was special. I've slowly come into the first team and, for me, that made me realize that maybe I've made it there, but now I want to stay there."

With that debut, and the seven other appearances that followed last season, Banks emerged as the USMNT's next  centerback prospect. The position, for several years, has been in a state of flux. Chris Richards has locked down one spot, and looks set to hold it down for years to come. As for the rest, there are a variety of contenders, from veterans such as Tim Ream to newcomers such as Banks.

The teenager, of course, isn't a newcomer to the USMNT system. Prior to his September arrival with the senior team, he'd played for the U.S. U17s, U19s and U20s.

"You look at Noki Banks, and this is just the beginning," U.S. U17 coach Gonzalo Segares told GOALin September. "We brought him as a reserve player for World Cup qualifiers because we didn't think he was ready yet, but then he took huge strides the next couple of months and was a starter and top player at the World Cup. Then, he's in the first team in the Bundesliga. It's just exciting."

Though Banks is an introvert, since his Augsburg debut, there's been a new spotlight on him. Banks can admit he isn't fully comfortable with it yet. In his eyes, he remains a teenager who still loves teenage things. He's now full throttle into the professional game, having proven that he's ready for that exact leap.

"I just want people to know I'm a normal guy that loves to do things with friends and family," Banks says. "That's really it with me. A lot of people thing footballers can be arrogant or something, but we're just normal guys. I like sleeping. I like TikTok. I like going to the cinema like every other teenager. 

"My friends want me to see The Conjuring," he adds with a laugh, "but I'm scared of horror movies. We'll see."

Stepping into the USMNT this fall was a scary prospect, at times, too. Fortunately for Banks, he had someone to lean on in Downs, who had a similar experience.

Even three months later, Downs probably doesn't understand the significance of what he did. With just a few international minutes to his name heading into the Gold Cup quarterfinal against Costa Rica, the 21-year-old striker had the courage to take a decisive penalty in the game's shootout. Staring him down was the legendary Keylor Navas. Downs fired a shot into the bottom left-hand corner to send the USMNT through.

"I was pretty calm at the moment," Downs recalls. "To be honest, we trained it a lot. We'd done a lot of pens. We were talking about placement and stuff like that. I was always pretty confident with my ability, so I don't really overthink it at that moment."

Calm as ever, and that generally extends off the field with Downs. He, like Banks, is naturally shy. He's not one to volunteer for interviews or media availabilities. At the Gold Cup, he largely kept his head down even as the media wanted to learn more about his story. 

"I don't like the spotlight so much, you know what I mean?" Downs says. "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."

On that, Downs is incorrect. Right now is a very exciting time in his life.

In the months prior to that decisive penalty against Costa Rica, the 21-year-old striker had emerged as one of the brightest young attackers in German soccer. He'd led FC Koln to a league title, scoring 11 goals while providing six assists along the way. Ultimately, he opted not to join the club on the next step of their adventure: the Bundesliga. Instead, he moved to Southampton in a $9.5M transfer.

Life in England is, of course, an adjustment, but Downs is no stranger to adjusting. Born in Werneck, Germany, Downs spent a large stretch of his childhood in Texas, initially falling in love with American football, not soccer. He still speaks with what can be described as an American accent. He didn't play soccer until he moved back to Germany, bouncing from club to club until he found one he could call home in Koln.

Now, Southampton is his latest base. He's still getting used to it. 

"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 thing is with both Downs and Banks is that, while their journeys are unique, they also find themselves as part of a lineage. The soccer connection between Germany and the USMNT remains strong.

The battles in training started quickly. Downs is a striker. Banks is a defender. Under that hot New Jersey sun, those quiet moments that bonded the two at the team hotel quickly grew loud when they'd face off on the field. 

Banks is taller, but not by much. "It's the hair," he says.

The duels have been fierce.

"It's so annoying to play against him," Downs says with a smile. "He's a pain to play against with those long legs. He always picks the ball away somehow. That's the annoying part."

"He can jump, man," Banks adds. "He can probably jump higher than me. We'll just have to see if we ever play Southampton."

For now, those battles are just limited to USMNT training, as Banks and Downs have become the USMNT's latest German-American duo. They aren't alone, of course. Jonathan Klinsmann, son of legendary striker and former USMNT boss, Jurgen, was also in camp, making his long-awaited return to the national team scene.

Richards' ability to speak German, developed during several years at Bayern, is pretty good, Banks and Downs say. Tyler Adams can speak a little, too, as can Pulisic. Haji Wright, who wasn't in camp, was eager to speak the language with Downs during the Gold Cup, as was Tillman, of course.

"I don't think I've ever been to a camp where I've spoken this much German," Klinsmann tells GOAL. "It's so cool, because, in a sense, it represents the U.S. as a whole, right? It's good for everyone to have some of that familiarity in an environment that is so different. It helps the group, as a whole, connect with everyone. We're all a united group that can connect with everyone. The level of comfort is fantastic."

Both Banks and Downs echo that sentiment. They, like fans of the USMNT, have watched as German-Americans have made huge impacts on the USMNT. Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson and John Brooks are among the most famous. Tillman, of course, is on the rise. Downs and Banks are, too, and they feel the pride that comes with representing both sides on the international stage.

"My family is super, super proud," Downs says. "My German side, they, of course, would have been excited if I ever played for the German team, but they're just as excited about this. They're super proud of the fact that I get to represent my country. For me, the most important part of all of this was just trying to be myself. You can't force yourself to be one thing if it's fake. To be honest, I'm just trying to represent myself. I just want to be myself and represent both countries, so being here is just a huge honor for me."

Added Banks: "It would be a lie to say I just feel or American or just feel German. I feel both. So for me to represent America, it's such a big honor. I've done it so much at the youth level. I love it."

Banks wasn't expecting the email. When he finally saw it, he realized what it meant: that he had been invited to USMNT camp.

"I was so surprised," he says. "I was so happy. My mom called me five minutes after. She was so happy as well."

Banks, ultimately, didn't see the field during the USMNT's September friendlies, a 2-0 loss to South Korea and a 2-0 victory over Japan. Downs, meanwhile, made a cameo in the second game, coming on to replace Folarin Balogun. He did nearly get his goal, creating a late chance that forced a good save to keep out what could have been his first USMNT finish.

September, then, was a learning experience for both. For Downs, it was another step into an increasingly competitive striker pool, one that he could vault into with a good run of goals for Southampton. For Banks, it was an introduction to life at the senior level, where he hopes to stay.

"It's great because I can still grow," he says. "I'm still so young, so I can learn a lot from playing against Damion, Christian, Timothy [Weah], everyone. I think that helps me with my career. Yeah, it makes me better."

It already has, his teammates say. When asked about Banks, Weah called him as "super impressive" and added that teenager could be a key piece for the USMNT down the line. So, too, can Downs, who, at only 21, will now look to take his big leap towards the Premier League with Southampton.

Where do they fit into the World Cup picture heading towards 2026?

"Seven or eight months is a pretty long time," Downs says, "so I'm not to 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."

"He's right: there's a lot of time," Banks adds. "It's coming quick, but there's so much I want to do. I want to have a great season, and that means just going game to game, to be honest. Whatever God wants to happen will happen."

Following the win over Japan, Downs, Banks and the rest of the USMNT went their separate ways, back to their clubs. The USMNT will reconvene in just a few weeks for October camp. There's no guarantee either will be involved as Mauricio Pochettino narrows down his World Cup squad. 

In the meantime, Banks and Downs will keep working to ensure that their paths will cross again soon.