It has taken longer than some would have first expected, but Charlie Davies believes he is ready to return to first team action with FC Sochaux.
Davies has stated that he is 90 percent recovered from injuries sustained in a deadly car crash more than a year ago, and he believes he will be ably to play for Sochaux against Bordeaux on Saturday.
"I'm feeling good. Physically I haven't felt this good in a year or so, so I'm feeling like my old self which is great because that's the most important thing because we all know the football will come by itself," Davies said. "I'm sure, if I could just get a few minutes out on the pitch, then I could make the most of that chance."
Davies faces a tough battle for playing time as Sochaux boasts a pair of in-form strikers in Brown Ideye and Modibo Maiga.
Here are some other stories to get your Thursday going:
Buddle at Birmingham
Edson Buddle has been training with English club Birmingham City and a growing number of reports have stated he is with the club on trial. Nobody from Birmingham or Buddle's Los Angeles Galaxy has confirmed that Buddle's stint at Birmingham is an actual trial, but Birmingham can certainly use his goal-scoring services.
Could Buddle actually make a move to England? Securing a work permit wouldn't be easy, and you have to wonder whether Birmingham would buy Buddle from the Galaxy outright. Given Bruce Arena's recent statement about Landon Donovan not going anywhere on loan this winter, would Los Angeles really let Buddle go on loan?
One thing is clear with the Galaxy after a wild Wednesday that saw the club acquire the rights to Juan Pablo Angel and Frankie Hejduk. Bruce Arena's team is loading up for a serious MLS Cup title run in 2011.
Props to Porter
In case you missed it, I gave my take on Akron head coach Caleb Porter's NCAA championship-winning run with the ZIps for Fox Soccer. There's no denying Porter is one of the best young American coaches in the game, and having him setting the standard in the college game is doing more for American soccer than people realize.
————–
What do you think of the news about Davies? Excited to see him back in first-team action? Think the Galaxy would actually sell Buddle or let him go on loan?
Share your thoughts below.
Someone else did made the very good point that it depends if the femur break was a hairline or compound fracture.
But I’m sorry, to compare a femur break to Holden’s hairline fibula… well that’s just not even in the same ballpark. The femur is the biggest and most durable bone in the body, so if you break that you’ve got some serious problems.
It is entirely possible the Davies might never get his top speed back.
Ehh kinda. Bowen is a striker/winger tweener, but he has played up top for the Galaxy.
Again. He was not the driver in either situation. I don’t even know if he was drunk in his car crash, but he certainly wasn’t drunk when Jacques Fathy was driving him.
Okay, as long as you know.
But he has never drunk driven, to our knowledge, and that is obviously not an indication of his work ethic.
Juan
I don’t know where you get your information from, but you are spreading lies.
Davies was a passenger in the car when the accident happened. In France, he took the the fall for his teammate because he thought he would be jailed for a long time as he already had legal problems.
Do not spread lies.
CD9 just needs to keep his head down and be patient. He can’t rush things. I can completely understand where he is coming from, he wants to get back to the level he was at asap, but it’s just going to take a lot of work and a lot of time. If it takes spending the rest of this season in the reserve league then so be it. This is a major hurdle for him but he will eventually get over it. Just don’t expect to move mountains in a day.
And I know he wasn’t the driver in either vehicle, but you have to admit that his second infraction was astoundingly stupid.
Doesn’t do jacksh*t for him
I guess the two times he was caught drunk driving and breaking curfew would suggest, to me, that he is not “working harder than any player on that squad.”
“Think before you speak, man.”
Well put.
talking about broken bones, there is big difference between a hairline break to a compound break, not sure which one Davis had.
To put the titanium rods in Charlie’s femur and tibia, they had to go through his knee and make entry holes in the ends of the bones. Neither is the most difficult procedure to recover from, but both together with his other injuries is a pretty big deal. I remember initially hearing about his injuries and thinking it was going to be very difficult to get back to 100% EVER. That being said, I hope he exceeds any and all expectations
no way?! Really? Wow, your cousin must be amazingly talented. Keep us posted. Props to you.
🙂
Bowen plays a different position
Wrong thread. Sorry.
Saying Stu’s broken fibula is the same as Charlie’s broken femur is like saying a MLB pitcher broke his hand vs breaking his pitching arm. The femur is a major weight bearing bone which requires months of rest/rehabilitation. A broken fibula can be fixed and return to play in 4-6 weeks.
Besides, Charlie had multiple major injuries (elbow, internal organs, face) to overcome as well.
How many current college clubs are coached by former MLSers?
He won’t qualify because his dad is Jamaican.
We’re all rooting for him to succeed, no one is “against” him. But there’s little reason to discuss him further until he plays in meaningful matches for Sochaux, on loan, or for the USMNT.
I’m not sure why so many people are against this young man. CD9 is an American player who made a mistake and paid dearly for it, almost with his life. The fact that this kid can even make it with a reserve team speaks volumes about his character and will. To say “relegated” to Sochaux’s reserve side is ignorant and you must not have seen the photos of the mangled SUV that almost claimed his life. We all should support this man and hope that he continues to regain strength and skill so he may one day be able to help his country become a world class football nation.
Does a broken femur really mean that there’s a significant chance he will never regain his speed?
I know nothing about the subject but that’s hard for me to imagine, considering how easily people come back from broken bones these days (eg Stu Holden).
You might be right but my understanding is that British Commonwealth type affiliated countries do not get the hook up with the GB work permits. I think his dad would have to be British. ..
Davis is ready for what??? More automotive misadventures????
I know.
If he is training with the squad, and he excels beyond the other players, they will attempt to sign him.
To claim that his time there is not a trial seems a bit narrow-sighted. Any time you are playing in front of potential suitors qualifies, in my mind, as a trial.
What about this kid, that anyone of us know, would ever suggest that Davies is not working harder than any player on that squad.
To suggest that he is talking but not putting in the effort is frankly laughable, and insulting to the will and work ethic that the kid puts into the game.
Think before you speak, man.
regarding charlie, read the linked article. it gives a bit more context to his comments. its a bit more balanced and realistic of the situation, that him simply “lobbying” for minutes with the first team. he’s a young guy talking openly about his aspirations to come back from his injuries. nothing wrong or inappropriate about that or his comments.
regarding buddle, you can call it “training” however, if he or anyone turns enough heads, its not a far strech to imagine a “training stint” turning into more than that…
I’ve been following fc sochaux site weekly and he has been getting regular minutes. He may have 2-3 goals with the reserve squad. Yes the competition is lower but it is positive….
I agree with Wally. I mean, I’m rooting for Davies as much as the next person, but after all the chatter about his “returns,” I believe it when I see him on the field for the senior team.
When that happens, it will be interesting to see if he has his world class speed again. I mean, the guy broke his freakin femur. He may never regain his world class speed, and if he doesn’t have that speed can he be a world class player? It’s sad, but we just have to wait and see.
Here’s hoping for the best.
should read, no interest
The French media said it was a poached goal off a deflection. Not quality, but he was there and you don’t get extra points for a pretty goal!
Wonder how his shooting is..
the most disturbing part of the davies article for me was that he has on interest in a loan out to another club. I understand he wants to prove his worth, but if he isn’t getting an opportunity, he should go elsewhere for 6 months. being away from Sochaux might even do him good
Just had his first 90.. One goal from a PK, one from open play. Have heard rumors that he isn’t half the player he was (on BigSoccer). His biggest asset was his speed, if he lost that he’ll have to completely redefine himself.
Still not expecting much from him this season. The real evaluation will be next season. He needs to be patient.
Here’s hoping for a loan transfer!
Ives what do you think of the Hejduk move by LA? This could be good because at right back Frankie can still run all day and cover for Beckham.
Any speculation as to what NY will do with the DP slot now that JPA is gone?
I can’t see LA letting Buddle go now that they tossed Bowen to the side.
Evil Dr. Sweatpants controls all…obey him.
“we all know the football will come by itself,”??
If only it were that simple. The USA would be world-beaters.
You Bradley apologist are getting to be a bit tired and sad. This is almost as bad as the Bradley haters. Get over it, no one in their right mind thinks this.
In other news Bradley’s farts smell of perfume and gold falls from his nostrils….
Davies should stick with proving himself instead of yapping about it. He’s been relegated to Sochaux’s reserve side and seems to be struggling there. They brought in younger forwards who start for the 1st team that are doing well. He needs to go into hermit mode and focus on getting his starting spot back at Sochaux. His actions on the field is the only thing that matters.
sorry – not naming “Davies” to the starting 11
and yet, there are still conspiracy theorists out there who will grumble that this delay is all part of Bob Bradley’s master plan to cover his “mistake” of not naming Bradley to the World Cup starting 11.
CD9 Welcome Back! Can’t wait to see him in Stars and Stripes again. World Cup would have been different with him. Genuinely likeable guy who deserves a come back.
Kudos to Porter…as the youth soccer development landscape changes it is important to remember that college is an American ideal and college soccer has it’s place in the mix.
Early bloomers will do fine in an MLS academy system, but there will be an even greater number of “later” bloomers who will ONLY make the jump to pro ball via college. We need more Porters!
To be fair, I don’t think Charlie’s confidence has ever (or ever will) go away.
Not so sure he should be publicly lobbying for minutes, which is what he has been doing recently.
CD9 scored in the reserves game this past weekend, though it would be nice to know if it was anything other than the PK he scored a few weeks ago. I can’t say there is any validity in Charlie declaring himself fit but it sounds like his confidence is returning which is definitely a plus. Gold Cup 2011.
In other news, my book is ready to be published, and my 10-year-old nephew is ready to play third-base for the Cleveland Indians (actually, that’s not so far-fetched…).
Why don’t we wait and see when Charlie’s coaches and medical professionals think he’s ready, no?
Normally I would pass off what Davies said for overconfident babble.
That being said, I remember reading about his progress awhile back, and I came away with the feeling that he was learning and maturing throughout the process.
I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt in this scenario. If he feels that he is ready to go, I’ll take his word for it.
Best wishes to Charlie and I sincerely hope he IS fit and ready to play. It would be great to see him tearing it up in L1, and he’ll still be a young-ish man by the time 2014 rolls around. That being said …
Davies’ estimations of his own health and readiness to play are about as reliable as Wimpy’s claims of Tuesday reimbursement for hamburgers purchased today.
so much for the promised q&a’s…
(pouts)
Edson’s father is Jamaican and I believe Edson can get a British passport through his heritage. Thus, no need for a work permit.
Has CD9 been performing well for his reserve team? I thought I had heard that he hadn’t been getting many minutes even at the reserve level…
Davies saying he’s ready for first team action is completely meaningless. He said he was ready for the world cup moons ago. Wake me up when anyone who has been watching him play says he’s ready.