Charlie Davies

Charles Desmond Davies (born June 25, 1986) is a retired American soccer player.

For the English rugby union player, see Charlie Davies (rugby player).

Charlie Davies
Davies during a 2011 regular season match against the Houston Dynamo
Personal information
Full name Charles Desmond Davies
Date of birth (1986-06-25) June 25, 1986
Place of birth Manchester, New Hampshire, United States
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position(s) Forward
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2006 Boston College Eagles 37 (24)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006 Westchester Flames 9 (6)
2007–2009 Hammarby 56 (21)
2009–2012 Sochaux 10 (2)
2011 → D.C. United (loan) 26 (11)
2012–2014 Randers 23 (0)
2013 → New England Revolution (loan) 4 (0)
2014–2016 New England Revolution 60 (14)
2016–2017 Philadelphia Union 11 (0)
2017 → Bethlehem Steel (loan) 1 (1)
Total 174 (55)
National team
2004–2005 United States U20 10 (0)
2007–2008 United States U23 6 (1)
2007–2009 United States 17 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:40, 29 October 2017 (UTC)

Davies set several soccer records at his high school, the Brooks School, before appearing for the Boston College Eagles and the Westchester Flames in college. Davies signed his first professional contract with Swedish Allsvenskan club Hammarby IF in December 2006 before joining Sochaux in July 2009.[1]

Davies has been capped seventeen times for the United States national team, with four international goals.

On October 13, 2009, Davies was involved in a serious car crash on the George Washington Parkway that killed a fellow passenger and left Davies with severe injuries that kept him out of the 2010 World Cup, and effectively ended his international career.

On July 30, 2016, Davies and the New England Revolution announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Starting with the 2020 MLS season, Davies is the main Color commentator for the New England Revolution, sharing his duties with Paul Mariner.

Youth and college

Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, as a child Davies was encouraged to play soccer and coached by his father Kofi Davies, an immigrant from the Gambia.[2] He attended the Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts and graduated in 2004 alongside fellow professional Mike Fucito. While there he set many Brooks scoring records, scoring twenty-nine and thirty goals in his junior and senior seasons, respectively. In his senior campaign, Davies led Brooks School to a 15–0 league record, and New England Class-A Championship. Davies also starred in wrestling at Brooks, earning National Prep All-American his senior season.

After prep school Davies attended Boston College, where he starred for the Eagles for three seasons. His sophomore season was cut short due a knee injury suffered in the first half of the season opener.[3] During his college years he also played with Westchester Flames of the USL Premier Development League, scoring six goals in nine appearances.[4] He was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy in 2006, capping his comeback season. He finished his college career with twenty-four goals and ten assists in thirty-seven games, including fifteen goals in sixteen games his final season.[5][6]

Professional career

Rather than finishing his degree at Boston College, Davies decided to turn pro after three years of college. He was a well-established professional prospect, and was expected to be a very high MLS draft pick[7] had he chosen to accept the Generation Adidas contract that he was offered.[8] Ultimately, Davies decided to try his luck in Europe rather than signing with Major League Soccer.

Hammarby

After an unsuccessful trial at Dutch club Ajax,[9] Davies signed his first professional contract with Allsvenskan club Hammarby IF in December 2006.[7] Although he initially was placed in the starting lineup, he had trouble finishing and spent his first year with the club alternating between being a starter and a substitute. On June 24, 2007, Davies netted his first goal for the club, which was the decisive goal in Hammarby's match against Faroese club Klaksvik in the first round of the 2007 Intertoto Cup, but he was still unable to score in the Allsvenskan. Davies credits both his coach, Tony Gustavsson, and Uruguayan star and former Hammarby teammate Sebastián Eguren with guiding his work ethic and attitude through his struggles.[6] In the final match of the 2007 season Davies broke through and scored a hat-trick against GAIS.

The 2008 season was a major breakthrough for Davies. He scored fourteen goals in twenty-seven games, twenty-five of which were starts.[4][10] As a result of his strong performance in 2008 there were many rumors regarding his transfer to a larger club elsewhere in Europe, but ultimately nothing materialized, and Davies returned to Hammarby.

The 2009 season began well for Davies, who scored four goals in the first nine league games. He also scored two extra time goals in a 2009 Swedish Cup match against Åtvidaberg, a ninety-ninth-minute equalizer and the winning goal just before extra time expired, to propel his club to a 3–2 victory in the third round of the tournament.

In the ninth league match of the season, however, he was issued a five match suspension after he elbowed one of his opponents, Örebro defender Michael Almebäck in the face, resulting in a bloody mouth.[11] Davies subsequently left Sweden to join up with the U.S. national team, marking his last appearance with Hammarby.

Sochaux

On July 10, 2009, before returning from his suspension in Sweden, it was announced that Davies would sign with Ligue 1 club Sochaux.[12] On August 15, in his second game with Sochaux, Davies came on as a second-half substitute and scored twice; Sochaux ultimately lost the game to Bordeaux, 3–2.[13] However, after only eight appearances with the club, Davies was seriously injured in a car crash while in the United States.[14][15] On April 26, 2010, Davies returned to full training with his club[16] and was finally placed in the gameday roster for the December 19 match against Bordeaux.[17]

After having spent 2011 on loan to D.C. United, Davies returned to Sochaux. He made his first appearance since his accident in a 1–0 loss against Rennes on February 11, 2012.[18]

D.C. United

After a ten-day evaluation period with the club during their pre-season, Davies signed on loan with D.C. United for the 2011 MLS season. Davies made his debut as a substitute in the 52nd minute, against the Columbus Crew on March 19, 2011 scoring two goals.[19] A week later he scored his third goal in a 2–1 loss against New England, and, as of May 4, led MLS in scoring with six goals scored. On June 24, Davies was fined $1000 for diving.[20] On September 11, Davies scored a hat-trick off of three assists from Chris Pontius to beat Chivas USA 3–0 in California. The win put United into tenth place in the standings, the final playoff spot, just above the New York Red Bulls.[21] United announced on December 1, 2011 that they would not exercise its December 1 option to secure his permanent transfer from Sochaux.[22] After his loan spell at D.C. United, Davies spoke out about the club's disappointing season and said he was involved in a disagreement with the club's coaching staff .[23]

Randers

At the end of the season, Davies was on the verge of leaving Sochaux after reaching an agreement to terminate the contract[24] with rumors spreading that he was on his way to join AZ and American team-mate Jozy Altidore but this was denied by technical director Earnie Stewart, who insisted that the club had no interest in Davies. Eventually, Davies signed for Danish side Randers on a two-year deal.[25] Davies made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute, in a 1–0 win over OB on July 22, 2012. He since has yet to make his first start in the league, having played in the third round of Danish Cup in a 2–1 win over Næstved and finished his time there without scoring a goal.

New England Revolution

On August 8, 2013, Davies was loaned to the New England Revolution for the remainder of the 2013 MLS season.[26] In early 2014, Davies and Randers agreed to terminate his contract, allowing him to join New England on a permanent basis.[27]

Davies was a key part of New England's run to the MLS Cup final in 2014, scoring multiple goals against the Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls, including the decisive goal in Leg 2 against the Red Bulls that gave New England an aggregate victory of 4–3.[28]

At the conclusion of the 2015 MLS season, Davies was named the Midnight Riders Man of the Year after scoring 10 goals for the Revolution.[29]

Philadelphia Union

On August 3, 2016, New England traded Davies and a third-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft to Philadelphia Union in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2018 SuperDraft, general allocation money, and targeted allocation money.[30]

Davies was waived from the Union at the conclusion of the 2017 season.[31]

Davies announced his retirement from playing soccer on March 2, 2018.[32]

International
Davies before a match for the United States men's national team

Youth

Davies played ten games, mostly as a substitute, for the United States U-20 men's national soccer team, but did not make the roster for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was the last player cut from the Youth Championship roster.[33] However, the U-20 team would include him in the roster for the Elite Milk Cup competition a month later. He led the team to the final where he scored a hat trick, making him the MVP of the competition and giving the U.S. its first Milk Cup success.[34] Davies next focused on the under-23 national team as his next target for international play.[33] He later trained and played with the team, eventually making the roster for the men's tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[35] As a member of the United States men's Olympic team he made only one appearance in the three games the United States team played at the Olympics. He came on as a substitute in the team's last match against Nigeria, where he nearly tied the match when his header rang off the crossbar in the waning moments, which would have sent the team through to the knockout rounds had it gone into the net.[36][37]

Senior

He made his debut for the senior national team on June 2, 2007, as a substitute in a 4–1 friendly victory over China in San Jose, California. Later that summer he was a part of the squad that took part in the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela. On October 15, 2008, he scored his first national team goal in a 2–1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago during the third round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[37][38] He added his second national team goal against Egypt in the final group stage game of the 2009 Confederations Cup. In the following game against Spain, Davies was involved in his strike partner Jozy Altidore's opening goal. On August 12, 2009, Davies scored the opening goal in a 2–1 loss to Mexico in Mexico City, becoming only the fourth American to score against Mexico in the Azteca Stadium.

Davies was left off the U.S. roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup after he was not cleared medically by his French club team, Sochaux.

International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
01. October 15, 2008 Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago  Trinidad and Tobago
1 – 1
1 – 2
Q 2010 World Cup
02. June 21, 2009 Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng, South Africa  Egypt
1 – 0
3 – 0
2009 Confederations Cup
03. July 6, 2009 Qwest Field, Seattle, United States  Grenada
4 – 0
4 – 0
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
04. August 12, 2009 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico
1 – 0
1 – 2
Q 2010 World Cup

Career statistics

Statistics accurate as of January 9, 2014

Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hammarby 2007 20300--81284
2008 271441----3115
2009 9423----117
Total 56216400817026
Sochaux 2009–10 8200----82
Total 8200000082
D.C. United 2011 261110----2711
Total 26111000002711
Sochaux 2011–12 2000----20
Total 2000000020
Randers 2012–13 23030----260
Total 230300000260
New England 2013 40--00--40
2014 1831054--247
2015 3310--00--3310
Total 6613105400727
Career total 13737114548116146

Personal life and health problems

On June 29, 2012, Davies married his college girlfriend, Nina. They now reside in Hingham, Massachusetts.

Automobile crash

On October 13, 2009, Davies, who was in Washington, D.C. for a World Cup Qualifier game against Costa Rica, was a passenger in an SUV that went out of control on the George Washington Parkway and struck a metal railing at about 3:15 a.m., tearing the vehicle in half. The crash shut down the George Washington Parkway until 8:15 a.m. that morning. The crash killed a 22-year-old woman who was in the car with Davies, while Davies himself suffered a lacerated bladder, fractured right tibia and femur, a fractured elbow, multiple facial fractures, and bleeding on the brain.[14][15][39] In an interview with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap on December 4, Davies said that he expected to be running by March and would be fit to play at the World Cup.[40] On January 25, 2010, ESPNsoccernet reported Davies was jogging and hoped to return to Sochaux by April.[41] Davies returned to France to complete his rehabilitation with his club on February 17, 2010, with plans to commence full team training within a month.[42][43] He resumed light training with the club on March 22.[44] On May 11, it was announced by coach Bob Bradley that Davies would not be on the preliminary national team roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,[45] as Sochaux had not cleared him medically.[46]

Two years after the crash Davies filed a $20 million lawsuit against Das Enterprises, which operates the Shadow Room, and Red Bull North America, which hosted the private event at which alcohol was served.[47] The parents of the women killed in the crash also filed suit against the nightclub owner and Red Bull in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.[48]

Cancer diagnosis

In the Spring of 2016, Davies was diagnosed with liposarcoma.[49]

gollark: Apiaries online?
gollark: Hello, citronous form.
gollark: Yep!
gollark: The bridge is now maybe up.
gollark: Testbot is up, the bridge is not.

References
  1. "Sochaux strike Davies deal". Sky Sports. July 11, 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  2. "Charlie Davies highlights the new breed of U.S. striker – ESPN FC". Soccernet.espn.go.com. July 20, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  3. "Player Bio: Charlie Davies". Boston College Eagles. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  4. "Westchester Alum Excels in Sweden" (Press release). United Soccer Leagues. November 11, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  5. "NCAA Career Statistics". NCAA. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  6. Dutt, Sujay (October 22, 2008). "Hammarby seeing the best of Davies". UEFA. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
  7. Hush, Andrew (November 21, 2006). "Davies quits BC to pursue professional dream". Soccer New England. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  8. "Player Database: Charlie Davies". Yanks-Abroad.com. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  9. "Davies leaves Ajax without offer". Yanks-Abroad.com. December 13, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  10. "Allsvenskan: Charlie Davies". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
  11. Seltzer, Greg (May 19, 2009). "S365 Exclusive: HIF Ponder Davies Appeal". Soccer365.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  12. Ramsey, Allen (July 10, 2009). "Davies: Sochaux Want Me To Develop Into A Big Time Player". Goal.com. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  13. "Ligue 1: Chamakh nets as Bordeaux beat Sochaux". ESPNsoccernet. Reuters. August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  14. Goff, Steven (October 13, 2009). "Davies in Serious Accident". Washington Post. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  15. "U.S. striker Davies injured in car accident". ESPNsoccernet. October 13, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  16. "US striker Davies resumes full training". USA Today. April 26, 2010.
  17. Oshan, Jeremiah. "USMNT's Charlie Davies Makes Sochaux's Gameday Roster For First Time Since Injury". SB Nation. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  18. "Charlie Davies returns for Sochaux". ESPN Soccernet. February 11, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  19. "D.C. United acquires forward Charlie Davies". Archived from the original on February 18, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  20. Reeves, Andrew (June 24, 2011). "The bigger story behind Charlie Davies' dives". Deseret News. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  21. Adam Serrano (September 11, 2011). "Recap: Chivas USA 0 – D.C. United 3". D.C. United. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  22. "Davies loan expires". D.C. United. December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  23. "Charlie Davies expresses disappointment about how 2011 MLS season ended and D.C. United's handling of his situation". Washington Post. February 9, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  24. "American Exports: Davies on his way out of Sochaux". MLS Soccer. July 4, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  25. "U.S. international Charlie Davies joins Danish club Randers". Goal.com. July 6, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  26. "Revolution acquire Charlie Davies". Soccer By Ives. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  27. http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/2014/01/revolution-acquires-charlie-davies-permanent-basis
  28. "Charlie Davies' brace sends New England Revolution to MLS Cup". Daily Breeze. November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  29. "Man of the Year Award". The Midnight Riders. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  30. "Revolution Trade Charlie Davies to Philadelphia Union". New England Revolution. August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  31. "Philadelphia Union Exercise 2018 Options On 11 Players". Philadelphia Union. November 1, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  32. "Charlie Davies on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  33. Dell'Apa, Frank (June 3, 2006). "No longer a state secret". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  34. "NI Milk Cup 2005 Elite Results". Milk Cup. August 5, 2005. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  35. "Nowak Names Roster for 2008 Olympic Games". United States Soccer Federation. July 17, 2008. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  36. "Down to 10 Men After Three Minutes, Valiant U.S. Effort Falls Short as 2–1 Loss to Nigeria Knocks Them Out of 2008 Olympics". United States Soccer Federation. August 13, 2008. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  37. Carlisle, Jeff (January 22, 2009). "Davies gets his chance to strut his stuff". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  38. "Winning Streak Snapped As Young U.S. Men's National Team Falls to Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain". United States Soccer Federation. October 15, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
  39. "U.S. Men's National Team Forward Charlie Davies Out of Surgery and in Serious but Stable Condition". United States Soccer Federation. October 13, 2009. Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  40. Jeremy Schaap (December 4, 2009). "World Cup Preview Show". ESPN.com (Podcast). Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  41. Galarcep, Ives (February 2, 2010). "Davies on remarkable path to recovery". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  42. "Davies says he's a month from resuming training". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  43. "Exclusive video interview with Charlie Davies". FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  44. "Davies resumes training after accident". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. March 22, 2010. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  45. "2010 World Cup: Charlie Davies' attempt to make U.S. World Cup team after near-fatal accident falls short – ESPN Soccernet". Soccernet.espn.go.com. July 11, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  46. "Davies slams club team for Cup snub". ESPN. May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  47. Steven Goff (October 18, 2011). "D.C. United's Charlie Davies files $20 million lawsuit against nightclub and party host Red Bull". The Washington Post. Soccer Insider. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  48. Steven Goff (October 19, 2011). "Charlie Davies lawsuit: additional information". The Washington Post. Soccer Insider. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  49. "Charlie Davies diagnosed with cancer". Fox Sports. July 30, 2016.
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