Downing was found emerging from a built cocoon of plastered FourFourTwo and World Football magazines wearing his Granit Xhaka Arsenal kit and talking about the recent champions league game against Ludogorets.

"Come ON, Matt. This is exactly like when you discovered pour over coffee a few years ago. No one here wants to hear you talk about the brilliance of Mesut Ozil and the tactical genius of Arsene Wenger when we are just going to Applebee's to get drunk and eat their 2 for 20 deal," ranted friend Donny Riechers.

The Nutmeg News spoke to boyfriend Thomas Marshall about Downing's molt and he stated, "I walked into the bedroom and found Matt's Orlando City Kaka kit on the ground and a trail of Orlando City merchandise leading up to his cocoon. I knew the molt had started. I collected his discarded shells for his return metamorphosis when he comes back to the league in 4 or 5 months."

Reportedly, friends knew that this was coming as Downing recently posted a diatribe about the unbelieving fan who doesn't understand that understated brilliance of the Wenger, on his Facebook feed.

"It was a sure sign," stated friend Carla Earles. "If you didn't know that his molt was coming, that's your own fault. I just wish that we could go watch a sporting event without him talking about the fact that this is the year that Giroud leads the line and shows his quality. At the very least we just wish he would get back into Florida State football so that we could all watch a Seminoles game without him commenting that Nyqwan Murray kinda looks like Theo Walcott in a certain light. Talk college football, not Lower Milton Abershirehaverford Township FC or whatever those teams are called."

The Nutmeg News will have more on this as Downing beta tests his blog entries for his new project called "Gunner Corner" on his friends that aren't soccer fans.