Charlie Davies made a case for securing a season-long loan with D.C. United, notching a goal and an assist in the team’s first match of the preseason. D.C. United defeated the Canadian under-20 national team 5-1 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Davies started and played 74 minutes, helping set up the second goal of Joseph Ngwenya’s first-half hat trick before scoring himself in the 41st minute.
Davies, who is under contract with Sochaux in France, is participating in a week long trial with United, after which the team will decide whether it is willing to secure Davies for the 2011 season.
D.C. owns the sole right among Major League Soccer teams to acquire Davies because it is first in the league’s allocation order, which is used for returning foreign-based U.S. national team players.
If signed by D.C., Davies would have the chance to rebuild his soccer career in the same city where he was nearly killed in a one-car accident in October 2009 during a visit with the U.S. national team. Davies has not played a first-team match since.
“I think that’s a great thing,” Davies said of his possible return to Washington. “Of course, it’s not the city that made the mistake that night. It was me. It was a bad decision, but the fans there are unbelievable and the support they showed for me that game against Costa Rica following my accident, words can’t really describe the passion that they showed for me, and I’d love to have the chance and the opportunity to play in front of them and make things happen.”
