USA loses Ricardo Pepi to injury, Pochettino calls up Damion Downs

Eight minutes. That's all Ricardo Pepi could manage in his PSV Eindhoven side's match against FC Twente on Sunday before being forced off with an injury. And with that bad news came another: he's out of the United States national team's squad for the upcoming international window.

Pepi, 23, had been named to the 28-player roster that Mauricio Pochettino put together for four matches during this FIFA date. But the injury sustained in the Netherlands ruled him out, and his spot has already been filled: Damion Downs, the St. Louis City forward.

Downs, 22, will report Monday to the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Georgia, where the group begins preparing for the matches ahead. He's far from a new face, having already made six appearances for the national team, most recently in June 2025 against Switzerland. His standout moment so far came at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, when he converted the decisive penalty in the shootout that gave the United States its win over Costa Rica.

There's something special about this call-up for Downs: on September 29, when the team faces Chile at Energizer Park in St. Louis, he'll have the chance to play in his home stadium, the same one where he plays in MLS. Before that, the national team opens the window against Peru on September 26 in Florida, then continues against Mexico on October 3 in Arizona and Canada on October 6 in Minnesota.

A worrying list of absences up top

Pepi's exit isn't an isolated case. Pochettino is now without all three forwards who were part of the World Cup roster: besides Pepi, neither Folarin Balogun nor Christian Pulisic will be available. Both, however, are showing signs of recovery at their clubs: Balogun played minutes off the bench for Monaco this past weekend, his first appearance of the season, while Pulisic returned from an absence and responded with a goal for Milan against Lecce.

With that picture up front, the American attack for this window takes on a different shape. One name drawing attention among the forwards is Cavan Sullivan, just 16 years old, another notable inclusion by the coaching staff for this round of matches.