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Americans Abroad: A Look Ahead

Davies (Getty Images)

Saturday provides another fresh start for Charlie Davies, one which he hopes is just the beginning of the turning point that launches him back to his form of old.

A week after signing with Randers FC in Denmark, Davies, who has drawn the No. 8 jersey, has been named to the 21-man squad that will travel to Sonderjyske for the club's season-opening game in the Danish Superliga and could very well make his debut. Davies played just twice for Sochaux's first team after his loan to D.C. United expired in December and has been itching to secure the regular playing time necessary to get back into a rhythm.

Elsewhere in Denmark, defenders Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst return to club action, with Goodson looking to captain Brondby to an improvement over their ninth-place finish from a season ago and Parkhurst's Nordsjaelland kicking off their league title defense against Horsens.

Josh Gatt and Molde, meanwhile, look to keep pace in the race in Norway. The defending Norwegian champions trail Stromsgodset by four points in the league table ahead of their clash with Valerenga. Lower down in the table, Ricardo Clark, Sean Cunningham and Stabaek look to put the disappointment of UEFA Europa League elimination behind them and turn their attention to getting out of the league cellar.

Here is who the Americans Abroad play this weekend:

SATURDAY

Charlie Davies and Randers FC play Conor O'Brien and Sonderjyske

Josh Gatt and Molde play Valerenga

SUNDAY

Clarence Goodson and Brondby play Odense BK

Steve Clark and Honefoss play Viking

Ricardo Clark, Sean Cunningham and Stabaek play Sogndal

MONDAY

Michael Parkhurst and Nordsjaelland play Horsens

Brian Span and Djurgardens play Norrkoping

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Excited to see what Davies can do in Denmark? Do you think Goodson should be an unquestioned starter at centerback for the national team?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I’d go a step further. Wouldn’t it be cool if (and a BIG if) Charlie Davies and Eddie Johnson were to somehow pair up for the NATS in their previous *in form* capabilities of the past? At the very least, it would push Altidore and co. to be at their own very best…

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  2. GATT with the goal off a rebound in the 27′ minute. He got into it with one of the home team players and now the crowd is booing him unmericful everytime he touches it.

    He scored and politely told them to “shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

    Conor O Brien also scored today against Randers, who are currently getting destroyed 5-1

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  3. Omar will possibly be in form for a January call up… if for nothing else to evaluate his recovery. If he does well over the 2nd half of the MLS season, a Cameron/Gonzalez CB tandem could be an adequate replacement for Gooch/Boca in a few yrs.

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  4. Davies made a mistake and he has paid for it every day since. He knows it and we know it. I’m glad my mistakes aren’t out there for the world to see…let he who is without sin cast the first stone…

    Sermonizing over, I wish him the best. Would love to see him back to his old form. Not sure that is physically possible.

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  5. News in Germany that Eintracht Frankfurt Coach Armin Veh wants to bring three (count ‘em) new central defenders to the team, which moved up to the 1. Bundesliga this season after spending one year last season in the 2. Bundesliga. In my mind, this would be a perfect situation for Carlos Bocanegra. Frankfurt no doubt wants to stay in the 1. Bundesliga and needs immediate defensive help and an experienced fighter like Bocanegra is just the man Frankfurt needs. Also, Canadian Olivier Occean just transferred to the team, so Veh is not against (North) Americans. Bocanegra’s agent should place a call to Frankfurt immediately. Here is a link to the article.

    http://www.welt.de/newsticker/sport-news/article108292178/Veh-bekraeftigt-Forderung-nach-Verstaerkungen.html
    
    Frankfurt signs Canadian striker Olivier Occean
    http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2012/07/03/sp-frankfurt-signs-canadian-striker-olivier-occean.html

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  6. 1st and foremost is Altidore

    after him our best bet is Gomez who may play a role in qualifying but has to be a straight BEAST to land a role in the next WC

    and after him it’s just a bunch of potentials like Agudelo, Bunbury, Boyd, Wooten.

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  7. I wish CD9 good luck, and I hope he can prove me wrong. As to the other corp of young forwards I think this year should give us a better understanding where they are in the pecking order.

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  8. A country the size of the US resting all of it’s footballing hopes on the health, form, fitness, and judgement of a single early 20s player is pure folly. We ever want to truly compete, we sure better have more depth than to have one unfortunate incident cripple our program. We’re getting there and I hope CD does too… for his sake not ours.

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  9. Did someone leave Petke in charge of the team for a period of time … afraid that his records were soon to be ecclipsed?

    For sure Dane and Luke had areas in need of development but Dane and Luke gave opponents REAL challenges and now neither is with the club…

    Ugh!

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  10. Rather than dwelling on the past, anyone’s past, let’s look toward the future and hope that all these players have great seasons, get into stellar form, and contribute to future US successes. My biggest hope is that it becomes difficult for current and future USMNT manager(s) to pick a starting team, with many choices at each position, like is the case in all the top footballing countries. I understand that this may be a generation or two away yet, but I’m hopeful. I remember a generation ago hearing a comment from a player from a mid-level national team that the “US is (or was, then) a hundred years behind us.” We’re closing the gap, slowly.

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  11. Why don’t you look at Altidore’s career in the last year or so.

    He has been a lot more consistent lately than you think. And lately is what counts, not two years ago.

    Had he not gotten hamstrung in the Gold Cup I think we beat Mexico in the final or at least not get massacred as bad.

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  12. I won’t argue that Davies could have been a lot smarter that evening.

    These comparisons are a bit clumsy.

    One thing about JOB, towards the end of his career he went to Athletes Performance, that famous fitness place in California, in an attempt to see if they could figure out why he kept getting injured.

    It turned out, and I’m not a medical pro here so cut me some slack, that his hips were not propely aligned or something like that.

    At any rate, it was something he had been born with,and they could do nothing to correct it,the point being he played about as long as he was going to be able to.

    In that regard then it’s not really sensible to compare Davies to JOB. OBrien was never going to recover from his medical issues.

    The other reason why it is a bad comparison is that OBrien had an pretty productive career at a higher level, being a regular with Ajax, winning some medals with them and then having that stellar 2002 World Cup. Charlie has yet to be that productive and was never as good a soccer player as JOB.

    And of course Holden is just the poster boy for unlucky timing of injuries, though Zak Whitbread is trying to give him a run for the title.

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  13. Wow man, “move on” really means nothing to you, does it? Thus guy is busting his hump trying to recover from an event that has changed his life and what does it cost you to preach your cautionary tale?

    We get it, he f#cked up. He’s trying to move on. How about you give that a try?

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  14. +1
    Hope he proves everyone wrong and gets back to form.I for Jesus Christ to play for the US and make 100 goals out of one.

    But neither are going to happen.

    Feel bad for the situation. Had he not snuck out to party instead of treating the call up like the privelage that it is, he may have started and scored against Ghana and gotten us through. He let down his fans and teamates. Its also hard to root for a guy who always dove in MLS and only scored on PKs.
    Fact is hes never going to be the old CD9 again. Maybe he can transform into a slower but more efficient finisher. Like a Villa or Inzaghi.

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  15. Altidore is our best striker and he’s quite inconsistent. Still he’s set for probably 2014 WC, 2018 and maybe 2022.

    Agudelo and Bunbury were given a lot of praise over the past 18months but have been rather crappy. Hopefully they improve.

    Boyd and Wooten are 2 guys plying their trade in lower divisions in Europe and fighting to get to the top.

    Gomez is still a good quality. He will help us greatly in qualifying and may even get a chance as a sub in the next WC.

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  16. For WC qualifying we have Bocanegra, Gooch, Goodson, Ream and Cameron. Boca is old but still solid for the Nats. Ream is inconsistent but he will improve. Cameron is still sorta unknown for the Nats but if he can play in the PL, it will help him to perhaps command that role at the WC. Gooch is kinda good but not as he once was. Goodson is solid but for now. His competition is catching up with him.

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  17. Also, i hope Josh gatt continues to do well, and hopefully he can get picked up by a bigger team in a year, or two or so. He can also be a big player for us in the future

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  18. I really hope he makes the Starting XI. If he gets back to full form, and he can partner up top with Jozy, it can be a fun next 2 years and a half for USA. All our other strikers aren’t in their prime years, Herc just passed his, and Agudelo, Bunbury, Boyd are all young and lack experience. I can’t think of any other striker we have that’s in the 24-27 year old range that could be a force for us up top.

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  19. This is an unfair comparison to O’Brien and Holden, although I understand what you are trying to do. Davies was incredibly stupid, not unlucky.

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  20. With all the Yanks that consistently play in the Danish SuperLiga, I wish that one of the channels here could get some viewing rights here in the States.
    I can’t imagine they’re that expensive.

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  21. This is like a JOB or Stuart Holden case where you ought to hold out some naive hope a player this good gets it together. Dude scored on Mexico in a qualifier in Mexico City, and had touch and speed. Especially if it’s that possibility versus pencilling a pointless Wondo or like player into the WC roster, I’ll hold out for hope.

    FWIW, 11 goals in 26 games would earn about any other player significant respect and international attention. It’s only because it’s Davies, and DC sucked, that he was somehow viewed as a failure here.

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  22. If Davies can ever get back to his pre car accident form, then that would fill a huge hole in the USMNT attack. Best of luck, Charlie!

    Reply

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