US international Damion Downs joins Southampton in time for Wrexham opener

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — U.S. international Damion Downs has joined Southampton from Cologne on a four-year deal.

The 21-year-old striker, who played at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, scored 10 goals and set up five more to help Cologne to Bundesliga promotion by winning the German second division last season.

Southampton was relegated from the Premier League last season in England and will host high-profile Wrexham in its opening game of the second-tier Championship on Aug. 9.

“Everybody plays football to win titles. To win my first title at 20 last year was a great feeling, and I hope to repeat it again this year,” Downs said on Southampton’s website.

German soccer magazine Kicker reported Southampton was paying up to 10 million euros ($11.7 million) for the American player.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Mexico midfielder Gilberto Mora (7) makes a pass to the front of the net as United States forward Damion Downs (9) defends in the second half of the CONCACAF Gold Cup final soccer match in Houston, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was suspended for 80 games on Friday following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball's drug program.

Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone, a substance that led to a suspension in 2018 for boxer Manuel Charr and caused the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to announced the following year it had disqualified 90-year-old cyclist Carl Grove from a world record he had set at the 2018 Masters Track National Championship.

Epitrenbolone is a metabolite of Trenbolone, which is contained in some products used in body-building stores and had been used in products to promote cattle growth.

Kepler, who turns 33 next month, is an 11-year major league veteran, who spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies after playing his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

FILE - Philadelphia Phillies' Max Kepler during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)