Photo by ISIphotos.com
Some four months after a fatal car accident that nearly cost him his life, Charlie Davies has taken the major step of returning to France for the next stage of rehabilitation from multiple injuries suffered in the October wreck.
Davies recently underwent what is expected to be the final surgery associated with the accident, a procedure to remove a bone, plate and screws from his left elbow, and will now rejoin club team Sochaux for the final stages of his rehabilitation.
Davies has been targeting an April return to action, but he will first have to see how his surgically-repaired body reacts to on-field activities and training.
Here are some other stories to get your Wednesday going:
TURKEY HIRES HIDDINK
Well-traveled head coach Guus Hiddink has found his latest destination: Turkey.
The Turkish national team has hired Hiddink to lead it in qualifying for the 2012 European Championships, inking the former Russia, Australia and South Korea head coach to a two-year deal.
Hiddink will not take over the job until August, so he won't be on the sidelines for Turkey's May friendly against the United States, the final friendly for the USA before the World Cup.
ADU, JOHNSON IN GREEK CUP ACTION
Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson return to action today as they lead Aris FC into Greek Cup action against Skoda Xanthi. Adu is coming off his first start for the Greek club, a match that saw him score his first goal in two years.
Today's match is scheduled for a 9am kickoff so feel free to start the feed hunt immediately.
RED BULLS EYE SUAZO
The New York Red Bulls' search for central midfield depth has led them to Honduran Maynor Suazo. The 30-year-old former Honduran national team midfielder has joined the Red Bulls in Florida for a trial.
Suazo spent six seasons playing for SV Salzburg and most recently played for Antalyaspor. He hasn't played professionally since May of 2008, after which he spent a year sidelined after right knee surgery. He has spent the past eight months looking for a club.
If his name rings a bell, it's because he was once regarded as one of Honduras' best young prospects, a player who earned a role on the national team at a very young age. He also happens to be the player who's foul set up Clint Mathis' game-winning free kick goal in the U.S. national team's World Cup qualifying win vs. Honduras in San Pedro Sula in 2001.
WIZARDS SET TO SIGN KOSTROV
The Kansas City Wizards' international makeover looks set to continue as the club is expected to sign Moldovan winger Igor Kostrov to a new deal. A 22-year-old midfielder capable of playing on either flank, Kostrov has been on trial with the Wizards this pre-season.
The Wizards have been busy adding foreign talent this off-season, with Danish goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, Guadeloupan midfielder Stephane Auvray, Colombian defender Pablo Escobar and now Kostrov.
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What do you think of these developments? Starting to believe Davies will be back for the World Cup? Wishing Hiddink was going to be on the sidelines for the USA friendly? Think Adu can keep it going in Greece?
Share your thoughts below.
Its also an arch nemisis of Borat’s home country of Kazahkstan
Freddy is going with the boys to South Africa
It’s Turkmenistan amd it’s situated above Iran and Afghanistan
Hahaha yeah I did the same thing. At least he wasn’t subbed out for performance reasons (or so it seems) since he scored and also helped set-up that counter attack goal Aris just scored.
Adu’s defense led to that last break that scored. Adu off, standing ovation, he looks like he is finally having fun again.
Adu subbed off = the game turns off.
Hey, this is the US….bonus points to anyone who can point to North Korea on a map. 🙂
Sorry, couldn’t resist poking fun at our lack of geographical knowledge.
GO GET EM CHUCK
HUGE international game today….North Korea vs. Turkministan
Bonus points to anyone who can point to Turkministan on a map without looking it up
No Potato. Won’t be with the team yet
Just to put it in perspective, Watford’s game was canceled yesterday due to soggy conditions. So it’s not just a Greek phenomenon.
I was looking for this yesterday and I found this. Not sure if it is correct. The USMNT has to have a provisional roster in by May 12 and final roster by June 11.
Since we have a friendly with Turkey on May 29th I am guessing we have some days after that to make the final choices. Remember you have alternates but they can only replace injured players so i think early June for final roster and alternates makes sense.
Typo…meant August. But the gyst of the question is the same.
Charlie Davies is an animal!
That match up in Philly just got a little more interesting. You always got to look out for the Turks and now Potato!
I love how vocal the greek fans are!
ain’t high quality is it. thanks though, i didn’t know this one.
doth mine eyes deceive me, is freddy putting in defensive effort
Since there are so many injured players for the USA I was wondering when the official dates are to announce the Provisional Roster and Final Roster for the WC??
i’d like to see hiddink manage the us too.
I think Stringer and anti-MLS coach people think we should get a proven foreign manager for the next cycle, not right before this WC.
I don’t mind that. I would LOVE to have Hiddink for a cycle, even just for a Gold Cup run or something. I’m just sick of sour grapes anytime any coach gets hired.
And you want evidence of a national soccer federation screwing up? Try Ghana’s prep: Playing Puerto Rico, Kenya, and Malaysia, on astroturf, in DETROIT.
No they don’t. These past 2-3 weeks it has been raining a lot non-stop in Greece so the fields are getting torn up
link?
Wow, who knew Patrick Dempsey uses L’Oreal
Or your idea was bad. Guus Hiddink is a great coach in the very short term, but he craves action too much to stick to a national team for too long. He hops around too much and tries to juggle coaching a national team with a club. He’s like the Larry Brown of soccer.
Umm, not that I’m disputing your description exactly, but goals aren’t the stat for cretive mids. Carlos Valderrama didn’t score a lot of them either.
Give me a break. It’s more of a reminder that we already have a coach.
Do they play polo on these Greek fields the rest of the week?
wait what? isnt he starting in august?
beb!n!o.com. Change the !’s to i’s, and there ya go. Almost half.
Oh should have been #2 for Adu but he slipped
Any feeds to the Aris match?
Yeah, Aaron, the top 3 teams are a lot stronger than any MLS teams. They play Champions League and while they are somewhat minnows, they’re not a joke in those competitions either. So Freddie scoring in Greece is pretty significant, IMO but I’d like to see him scoring vs. Olympiakos or Panathinaikos.
Being an academic economist, I dropped Sunil an email at his Columbia address some time ago. I promised him flowers if he signed up Guus Hiddink for the next cycle. (Sadly, Sunil’s response did not address my exciting offer.)
The news that Hiddink has signed on with Turkey is no big surprise. But it’s another small reminder of how the top brass at US Soccer are underperforming.
The Charlie Davies story — amazing. Here’s hoping he’s on the field in top form in South Africa.
Man, go Freddy go. How does the Greek League stack up to MLS? It seems like there’s more money, at least for the top 2 or 3 teams but what about the rest?
I’m sure having CL spots is a boon for the top teams.
found a feed. thanks for the reply.
*his twitter
Some might say his healing powers are “uncanny”
Freddy listed several feeds on this twitter page if you’re interested.
Charlie Davies = Weapon X
Adu gets on the end of a long cross.
No feed….but Aris is winning 1-0 off a goal by Campora. The goal was set up by an attack from the right and a shot by Neto. Neto has meant a lot to Aris this year. He has scored or been a part of very many goals. He is one of the better right backs in the Greek league. Freddy has started on the left. Eddie is on the bench…………..as I type this Freddy scored!!! 2-0. Looks like a tidy little finish…good concentration by Fred.
Goal Adu!
Adu just scored
Aris up 1-0. Adu started.
Wow if my name was Pablo Escobar I would want to get the hell out of Columbia too!
With respect, Suazo is far from a playmaking midfielder. He fits more in the mold of a defensive midfielder in the matches I’ve seen. 0 goals in 15 qualifiers is hardly production.
Not that I don’t think he would, or that he’s that sketchy, but with ‘not starting until April’ could Hiddink jump to a different job post-WC in July?
He’d be able to leverage a massive contract/buyout from some team looking to replace a coach after South Africa. That’s just a crazy idea that jumped into my head when I saw that start date.
Euro 2012 Group A:
Germany
Turkey
Austria
Belgium
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan
I guess it’s Belgium that just said, Damn….Hiddink. Germany won’t be worried, and the others probably don’t expect to advance.
Turkey will be a semi-finalist at euro 2012