Ricardo Pepi, 23, was originally named to Mauricio Pochettino's 28-man squad for four matches during the international break but was injured Sunday while playing for PSV Eindhoven. His spot on the U.S. team has now been handed to St. Louis City striker Downs, who will head to Georgia's Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center on Monday. Downs, 22, has already played six times for the Americans, most recently featuring in June 2025 against Switzerland and scoring the winning penalty in a shootout against Costa Rica in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Downs could play at his home stadium when the national team faces Chile at Energizer Park in St. Louis on Sept. 29. The Americans also play Peru on Sept. 26 in Florida, Mexico on Oct. 3 in Arizona and Canada on Oct. 6 in Minnesota.