Forward will join D.C. for training camp trial
U.S. forward Charlie Davies will get a chance to rebuild his professional career in the same city where a horrific car crash nearly claimed his life 16 months ago.
Davies will join D.C. United on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a week-long trial that will include evaluation by the team’s medical staff. In order to secure a deal with United for the 2011 season, he must prove to the team that he is recovered enough from the multiple injuries.
“Details of the 12-month loan have already been negotiated,” the team said in a statement on Tuesday. “But nothing will be official until D.C. United is satisfied Charlie is physically capable of playing at the level required to be successful in MLS.”
Davies was a star on the rise for the U.S. national team before he was a passenger in a one-car crash on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in October 2009 prior to a World Cup qualifying match at RFK Stadium. The 24-year-old suffered a broken right femur and tibia, a broken left elbow, a torn knee ligament, facial fractures and a lacerated bladder in the crash, which killed Ashley J. Roberta.
Although Davies returned to training with his French club, Sochaux, he has played only in reserve matches, and the club has been pursuing a loan deal for him this winter.
“He’s a guy, when he’s in form and playing his best soccer, that is one of the best forwards in the U.S.,” United midfielder Dax McCarty said. “He’s a confident guy. He knows he’s a good player. He’s recovered well from his injuries. To get him, if that was the case, I think would only make this better.”
