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Exciting times for Charlie Davies

Charlie Davies 3 (ISIphotos.com) 

                                         Photo by ISIphotos.com

 

BY DYLAN BUTLER

It's a good time to be Charlie Davies.

After a breakthrough performance at the FIFA Confederations Cup and scoring a goal in the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Grenada, the 23-year-old forward will get to play in front of family and friends from the Boston area for the first time in a U.S. national team kit Saturday as the U.S. looks to lock up Group B against Haiti at Gillette Stadium.

And on Friday, Davies found a new home, agreeing to terms with French Ligue 1 squad Sochaux.

"That's the next step for me and I'm real excited about it," the former Boston College standout from Manchester, N.H. said. "That was my first choice club to go to and I think it's a perfect opportunity to show my football on the world stage."

The congratulatory texts poured in throughout the night, leaving the groggy Davies confused as he woke up and checked his cell phone this morning.

"I woke up this morning and I had probably 10-15 texts from teammates at Hammarby as well as Jozy Altidore wishing me the best of luck," Davies said. "I was pretty confused, but then I called my agent Lyle (Yorks) and he told me everything had gone through finally and it was pretty exciting."

The deal is contingent on Davies passing a physical and Davies and U.S. coach Bob Bradley both danced around the question of if or when the forward will have to leave the U.S. team to fly to France.

"Right now it's open," Davies said. "As far as that goes, I know it's important that coach Bradley wants me to stay with the team and help this team win the Gold Cup. As far as I know now I've just got to wait and see and find out when I go and take the medical."

Davies said everything is going so quickly for him, it's highlight after highlight. He's got another one on Saturday when his father and brother fly in from San Diego to see him play in a national team jersey for the first time in person.

"It's going from extreme to extreme for me," Davies said. "I've just been really excited the past month and a half and it only keeps getting better for me. I must be doing something right."

Comments

  1. Great move for Davies. He will be the starting striker for Sochaux. It’s sure pressure but he had a lot of pressure at Hammarby as well. If he can keep Sochaux from being relegated, he’ll be a hero.

    I say he will get 11goals this season if he plays the full season and fit.

    Marvelous

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  2. Congratulations to Davies. Good news for him, for USMNT, and for American soccer generally. Represent NH and BC, Charlie!

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  3. How is he overrated? Better touch than Altidore, quickest forward on the USMNT (which has a fair number of fast forwards), and tremendous hustle. Right now, only his decisionmaking isn’t top-notch, but unlike a physical skill, that can be learned in your early 20’s. Altidore may have more potential, but right now, Davies is our best striker (I’m counting Donovan and Dempsey as MFs).

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  4. umm its a good club because he is being brought in to replace the starting striker they just sold(or failed to re-sign). The french league is much better than the Sweedish league. As one of the lower teams in the league they probably counter a lot and could use his speed. It is a great next step for him.

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  5. Sushant Rao- Sochaux have a reputation for developing young talent and selling them to bigger clubs, which is exactly what the team said they plan for Davies. Also, Sochaux have been trying to purchase Davies since last winter, before his recent explosion of good form. That means they rate him highly and want to play him. Sounds like a good situation to me.

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  6. I’m confused. Why is Sochaux such a good club to go to?

    They finished 14th in the 20 team Ligue 1. They tied for 12th in terms of goals scored and 15th in goals against.

    He should have gone to a team that was good on defense but needed offense. For example Toulouse (1st in Goals Against but 7th in Goals Scored) might have been a better bet. Plus Toulouse is in the Europa league.

    Or Rennes, which as 4th in Goals Against but 7th in Goals Scored.

    Another option should have been Schalke 04 in Bundeliga. They finished 1st in Goals Against but only 11th in Goals Scored.

    Again, Toulouse, Rennes & Schalke 04 would have wanted him, but they had a definite need for offense.

    That all said, as long as he gets minutes, that matters the most 🙂

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  7. Great move for Davies, as Ligue 1 is probably the best springboard to the big four leagues. Not that I’m putting Davies on his level, but remember that Ronaldinho was at PSG before moving to Barca.

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  8. quality player and i really hope we are not considering Casey for the national team..he really has no touch and is just a big clumsy player..all hes good for is to come on late and the hold the ball up for 2 seconds then he loses it..not worth attention in my view..get someone quicker and stronger..shouldnt be that difficult

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  9. Glad Eddie seems to be getting himself into the Fulham picture. We can only benefit from having him back on form and maturing as a player.

    Charlie has come on strong of late, but, as a long-time MNT supporter, I know full-well that all it is going to take is a couple bad games with the MNT and a few weeks as an unused sub at the club level and he will be made a pariah by the very same people claiming him to be the next big thing for the USA.

    I still say our best quartet of forwards would be Dempsey as the target CF and Davies as the supporting striker. Altidore as backup to Dempsey, and Eddie as backup to Davies. Then Ching behind Altidore and Adu backing up Eddie.

    And before anyone says “But Brett, Dempsey plays RMF for us” … Well, I think the sooner that comes to an end the better. He is best used as a goal scorer who can track and help defend.

    Quaranta or Cherundolo would make excellent replacements for him on the right side of mid-field.

    ——-Dempsey—–Davies——
    -Donovan————Cherundolo-
    ——Feilhaber–Bradley——-
    Bocanegra-Gooch-Demerit-Spector

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  10. Our strikers for the national team as of now are

    Altidore and Davies. We need 2 more. Who we choosing from? Ching? EJ? Cooper? Casey?

    They all have a chance to come off the bench and add a flavor to the game but whose it gonna be?

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  11. Charlie Davies is a success. He can play as center forward but also up top with a partner.

    He went from a stellar college career to a modest team in a 3rd tier Euro league (Sweden) and now moving up top a modest club in a top5 league. Good for him. Hope he can score, score, score

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  12. “I must be doing something right.” You must be!
    I think defending, hustling, and then scoring goals and assisting goals (in essence, playing incredible soccer) may be that something. DUH
    CONGRATS CHUCKY D

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  13. Unless Sochaux sign another striker, there will be a lot of pressure on Davies to score goals. He’s replacing Mevlut Erding and Sochaux supporters did not want Erding to leave.

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  14. EJ scores for Fulham in a 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory.

    ——

    Really excited for CD. He deserves this move. He should get some good pt and from what I’ve read in the future Sochaux hope to sell him on to PSG or another big french club.

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  15. “BREAKING NEWS….

    EDDIE JOHNSON IS STILL ALIVE!!

    Could this mean that there is another forward in contention for WorldCup 2010?

    Inquiring minds want to know.”

    I hope not. At this point I’m just considering Eddie Johnson to be a poor man’s Charlie Davies. Unless Davies goes down with injury, I wouldn’t even consider it.

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  16. Alex,

    Then again, I may be wrong. Even if Jozy is loaned out, I’d be happy if he could get playing time and not just ride the pine.

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  17. He has lot to learn . It’s good that he will b playing for them. He shows lots of potential n with correct training n right team he can learn a lot n b able to kill it with jozy up front. Hopefully heearns to stand his ground more cuz the only thing I dislike about him is his constant dives. There’s a time to dice n there’s a time where u have to fight to not get pushed off. He will get better though . I have faith in him

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  18. I thought Jozy to Olypiakos was all but complete, but I didnt hear that from the most reliable source… I think Jozy will be loaned there, and if not there somewhere

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  19. Here’s hoping he continues to develop. I’m gonna be safe and not get too excited until he actually does something at Sochaux.

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