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Ryan Tolmich

WATCH: Damion Downs scores for Southampton in preseason debut with USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino in attendance

The striker impressed in his first game for his new club, scoring in front of his national team coach

  • Downs nets first Southampton goal
  • Pochettino in attendance
  • Striker joined Saints from Koln this summer
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    WHAT HAPPENED?

    Damion Downs scored his first preseason goal for new club Southampton, and it just so happened to come with U.S. men's national team boss Mauricio Pochettino watching on.

    With his side down 2-0 to another of Pochettino's former clubs, Espanyol, Downs netted in the 92nd minute, pulling one back in the final moments of Southampton's eventual 2-1 defeat. With time waning, Downs broke through down the right-hand side to get onto the end of a through-ball, rifling a first-time finish into the back of the net to start life with his new club with a bang.

    "It was a nice experience," Downs said after the match. "Obviously, scoring as a striker is the nicest thing you can do...It's been very nice. The staff are great, my teammates are great. Everyone around the whole team is great. It's been very welcoming so far, so I'm looking forward to more."

    Downs joined Southampton this summer after a breakthrough with Koln in the 2. Bundesliga last season, seeing him score 11 goals to fire the team to promotion. The Saints, who will play in the Championship this season, paid $9.5 million to acquire his services shortly after his run through the Gold Cup with the USMNT.

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  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    The goal came in front of Pochettino, who just had a summer-long look at Downs throughout the Gold Cup. Downs dealt with a few injuries, limiting him a bit during his first camp with the USMNT, but he did still have one major moment as he netted the winning penalty in the quarterfinal shootout win over Costa Rica. In total, Downs earned five caps this summer, coming off the bench in each of them.

    Saturday's goal, then, will surely have made an impression on Pochettino and his staff as they now look ahead to September camp, with Downs one of the candidates to be involved at the striker position. Pochettino had previously coached both clubs, getting his start at Espanyol before breaking through in England with a single season with Southampton.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR SOUTHAMPTON?

    Downs and Southampton will have a week before their next friendly, which comes on Aug. 2 against Brighton. After that, they'll kick off their Championship campaign on Aug. 9 against newly-promoted Wrexham.