 Davies during a2011 regular season match against theHouston Dynamo | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Desmond Davies | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1986-06-25)June 25, 1986 (age 39) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Manchester, New Hampshire, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | 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 IF | 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | United States U20 | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | United States U23 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | United States | 17 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:40, October 29, 2017 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles Desmond Davies (born June 25, 1986) is an American former professionalsoccer player who played as aforward.
Davies set several soccer records at his high school, theBrooks School, before appearing for theBoston College Eagles and theWestchester Flames in college. Davies signed his first professionalcontract with SwedishAllsvenskan clubHammarby IF in December 2006 before joining Sochaux in July 2009.[1]
Davies wascapped seventeen times for theUnited States national team between 2007 and 2009, and scored four international goals.
On October 13, 2009, Davies was involved in a seriouscar crash on theGeorge Washington Parkway that killed a fellow passenger and left Davies with severe injuries that kept him out of the2010 World Cup, and effectively ended his international career.
Born inNew Hampshire, as a child Davies was encouraged to play soccer and coached by his father Kofi Davies, an immigrant fromthe Gambia.[2] He attended theBrooks School inNorth Andover, Massachusetts and graduated in 2004 alongside fellow professionalMike 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, andNew England Class-A Championship. Davies also starred in wrestling at Brooks, a 3x New England Prep School Champion while earning National Prep All-American status his sophomore & senior seasons.
After prep school Davies attendedBoston College, where he starred for theEagles 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 withWestchester Flames of theUSL Premier Development League, scoring six goals in nine appearances.[4] He was a finalist for theHermann 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]
Rather than finishing his degree atBoston 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 highMLS draft pick[7] had he chosen to accept theGeneration Adidas contract that he was offered.[8] Ultimately, Davies decided to sign with Nike and try his luck in Europe rather than signing withMajor League Soccer.
After an unsuccessful trial at Dutch clubAjax,[9] Davies signed his first professional contract withAllsvenskan clubHammarby 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 againstFaroese clubKlaksvik in the first round of the2007 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 teammateSebastián Eguren with guiding his work ethic and attitude through his struggles.[6] In the final match of the2007 season Davies broke through and scored ahat-trick againstGAIS.
The2008 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 toHammarby.
The2009 season began well for Davies, who scored four goals in the first nine league games. He also scored twoextra time goals in a2009 Swedish Cup match againstÅtvidaberg, 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 defenderMichael 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.
On July 10, 2009, before returning from his suspension in Sweden, it was announced that Davies would sign withLigue 1 clubSochaux.[12] On August 15, in his second game withSochaux, Davies came on as a second-half substitute and scored twice; Sochaux ultimately lost the game toBordeaux, 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 againstBordeaux.[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 againstRennes on February 11, 2012.[18]
After a ten-day evaluation period with the club during their pre-season, Davies signed on loan withD.C. United for the 2011 MLS season. Davies made his debut as a substitute in the 52nd minute, against theColumbus Crew on March 19, 2011, scoring two goals.[19] A week later he scored his third goal in a 2–1 loss againstNew 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 beatChivas USA 3–0 in California. The win put United into tenth place in the standings, the final playoff spot, just above theNew 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]
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 joinAZ and American team-mateJozy Altidore but this was denied by technical directorEarnie Stewart, who insisted that the club had no interest in Davies. Eventually, Davies signed for Danish sideRanders on a two-year deal.[25] Davies made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute, in a 1–0 win overOB on July 22, 2012. He finished his time at the club without making a start or scoring a goal.
On August 8, 2013, Davies was loaned to theNew England Revolution for the remainder of the 2013 MLS season.[26] Davies made his Revolution debut, and home debut, on August 17, 2013, coming on as a 79th minute substitute forChad Barrett in a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire.[27][28]
On January 9, 2014 Davies and Randers agreed to terminate his contract, allowing him to join New England on a permanent basis.[29] Davies made his first start for the Revolution on July 19, 2014 in a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas.[30] He scored his first Revolution goal on August 2 in a 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls.[30]
Davies was a key part of New England's run to theMLS Cup final in 2014, scoring multiple goals against theColumbus Crew andNew York Red Bulls, including the decisive goal in Leg 2 against the Red Bulls that gave New England an aggregate victory of 4–3.[31] In the Revolution's 5 playoff matches, Davies notched a total of 4 goals and additionally recorded a game-winning assist.[30] He was a finalist for the 2014 MLS Comeback Player of the Year award, ultimately losing out toRodney Wallace.[32]
In the2015 New England Revolution season, Davies led the Revolution in scoring, winning the club's golden boot award with 10 goals and 4 assists.[30] He was named theMidnight Riders Man of the Year.[33]
Davies made 9 appearances for the Revolution in 2016, recording one goal, on March 6 against the Houston Dynamo in the season opener.[30]
On August 3, 2016, New England traded Davies and a third-round pick in the2018 MLS SuperDraft toPhiladelphia Union in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2018 SuperDraft, general allocation money, and targeted allocation money.[34]
Davies was waived from the Union at the conclusion of the2017 season.[35]
Davies announced his retirement from playing soccer on March 2, 2018.[36]
Davies played ten games, mostly as a substitute, for theUnited States U-20 men's national soccer team, but did not make the roster for the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was the last player cut from the Youth Championship roster.[37] However, the U-20 team would include him in the roster for the EliteMilk 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.[38] Davies next focused on theunder-23 national team as his next target for international play.[37] He later trained and played with the team, eventually making theroster for themen's tournament at the2008 Summer Olympics.[39] 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 againstNigeria, 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.[40][41]
He made his debut for thesenior national team on June 2, 2007, as a substitute in a 4–1friendly victory overChina inSan Jose, California. Later that summer he was a part of the squad that took part in the2007 Copa América inVenezuela. On October 15, 2008, he scored his first national team goal in a 2–1 loss toTrinidad and Tobago during thethird round ofCONCACAF qualifying for the2010 FIFA World Cup.[41][42] He added his second national team goal againstEgypt in the final group stage game of the2009 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 toMexico inMexico City, becoming only the fourth American to score against Mexico in theAzteca Stadium.
Davies was left off the U.S. roster for the2010 FIFA World Cup after he was not cleared medically by his French club team, Sochaux. Davies had sustained serious injuries in an October 2009 automobile crash.
On October 13, 2009, Davies, who was in Washington, D.C. for a World Cup Qualifier game againstCosta Rica, was a passenger in anSUV that went out of control on theGeorge Washington Parkway and struck a metal railing at about 3:15 a.m., tearing the vehicle in half. The crash killed a 22-year-old woman who was in the car with Davies, while Davies himself suffered a laceratedbladder, fractured righttibia andfemur, a fracturedelbow, multiplefacial fractures, andbleeding on the brain.[14][15][43] In an interview with ESPN'sJeremy Schaap on December 4, Davies said that he expected to be running by March and would be fit to play at the World Cup.[44] On January 25, 2010,ESPNsoccernet reported Davies was jogging and hoped to return toSochaux by April.[45] 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.[46][47] He resumed light training with the club on March 22.[48] On May 11, it was announced by coachBob Bradley that Davies would not be on the preliminary national team roster for the2010 FIFA World Cup,[49] as Sochaux had not cleared him medically.[50]
Two years after the crash Davies filed a $20 million lawsuit against Das Enterprises, which operates the Shadow Room, andRed Bull North America, which hosted the private event at which alcohol was served.[51] The parents of the woman killed in the crash also filed suit against the nightclub owner and Red Bull inU.S. District Court inAlexandria, Virginia.[52] Davies reached an undisclosed settlement in October 2012.[53]
In the Spring of 2016, Davies was diagnosed withliposarcoma.[54]
Statistics accurate as of December 22, 2021.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Westchester Flames | 2006 | USL PDL | 9 | 6 | – | – | 9 | 6 | ||||
| Hammarby | 2007 | Allsvenskan | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8[b] | 1 | – | 28 | 4 | |
| 2008 | Allsvenskan | 27 | 14 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 31 | 15 | |||
| 2009 | Allsvenskan | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | – | – | 11 | 7 | |||
| Total | 56 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 1 | – | 70 | 26 | |||
| Sochaux | 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 2 | ||||
| D.C. United (loan) | 2011 | MLS | 26 | 11 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 11 | ||
| Randers | 2012–13 | Danish Superliga | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 26 | 0 | ||
| New England Revolution (loan) | 2013 | MLS | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| New England Revolution | 2014 | MLS | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 5[c] | 4 | 24 | 7 | |
| 2015 | MLS | 33 | 10 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 10 | |||
| 2016 | MLS | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 1 | |||
| Total | 75 | 14 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 4 | 84 | 18 | |||
| Philadelphia Union | 2016 | MLS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | MLS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Bethlehem Steel (loan) | 2017 | USL Championship | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 184 | 62 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 208 | 71 | ||
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 | |
| 02. | June 21, 2009 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium,Phokeng, South Africa |  Egypt | 1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 03. | July 6, 2009 | Qwest Field,Seattle, United States |  Grenada | 4–0 | 4–0 | |
| 04. | August 12, 2009 | Estadio Azteca,Mexico City, Mexico |  Mexico | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
{{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)
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