Association Football

Yesterday’s tragic events surely put the game of soccer in perspective. Our hearts go out to the family of the young woman who died, as well as to Davies and the other individual in the car who are both extremely lucky to be alive. For Davies, the focus right now shouldn’t be on soccer, but on simply getting better. Let’s hope he doesn’t lose his positive attitude and infectious joy that so captivated US fans this year in his long road back to recovery.

As for his career, this is definitely a massive setback. Reports indicate that he broke his lower leg in two places, fractured his elbow and face, and suffered some internal injuries. These are horrible injuries but each are ones that he can probably recover from. He is extremely fortunate to not have suffered any spinal chord injuries.

His chances however, of making the World Cup are very very slim. The doctors indicated a 6-12 month recovery period that could be expedited due to Charlie’s fitness levels. The problem however is that timeframe is about returning to full health not the same as soccer-fitness levels. Even if Davies were to get back sooner, he would likely need a few months of training and reserve games to regain his fitness and touch. He would then need to begin playing for the first team at Souchaux for Bradley to even consider him. We are only about seven months from the world cup and for Davies to be back in time would require him to get back and playing by March at the latest, it just seems too soon. Also the last thing you want to do is rush his return. I think the more realistic target would have to be beginning of next season.

For the national team the loss of Charlie is a big big blow. He was probably the hottest US player in Europe right now and he had emerged as a trusted member of the starting 11. His pace made us extremely dangerous on the counterattack and he had a great knack for creating space in the penalty area. More weight will be placed on Jozy’s sholders now and there is a need for another player to step up – Conor Casey laid his claim, can Kenny Cooper finally emerge with the national team, maybe Jeff Cunningham? None of these three however really provides the pace and promise of Charlie.

Get well soon.

Filed under: USMNT |