Link Really sad news for a young player that was looking real promising for next year's World Cup. I send my best hopes to him and his recovery
You can see more pictures here. The car was literally torn in half and Davies is lucky to be alive. Looks like six to 12 months of recovery before he can return to playing. But, he's still in serious but stable condition, so soccer shouldn't really be on our minds. He'll be out of the hospital at the end of the week.
Ives is reporting that Davies is improving and has left the intensive care unit in DC. This is great news. From my limited medical understanding, the lacerated bladder was the most severe of the injuries as the risk of internal infection is very high. Its going to be a very long road for Davies, but I'm hoping he can get his health back and at least get to South Africa as a fan.
Charlie is walking. He completed his elbow and facial surgeries recently and took his first steps (with crutches I would presume) in the hospital. According to US Soccer, Charlie has received over 10,000 cards, e-mails, and text messages from US fans, Sochaux fans, and soccer fans around the world. Sochaux is showing a lot of support for their teammate, which is very nice (and somewhat humorous) to see. In this video, the players and technical staff show their varying grasps of the English language while wishing Charlie as speedy recovery. Vaclav Sverkos has an interview that is mostly about Charlie. Last weekend, Sochaux defeated Lyon, 2-0, in an effort that was dedicated entirely to Charlie. At the Sochaux-Lyon match, there was a great display from the fans, but I can't find the pictures of it anymore.
That's a great showing from the Sochaux fans, and will definitely boost Davies' morale during these tough times. It's always a bitch coming back from such a lengthy set-off and I wish him the best of luck.
Crazy update today from Ives. He alluded to something on Friday with this tweet: If USMNT fans could see what I've seen today they would feel much better about their team's World Cup chances. And then he kept us waiting until today, when he presented us with this story on ESPN Soccernet, and this post on his blog. To catch the key soccer point, Davies is back on the pitch, training under the care of Jim Hashimoto (US Soccer Head Trainer), and is projecting a return to Sochaux for the close of the Ligue 1 Season in April. Hashimoto called Davies "bionic." Davies added that he was called by Sochaux manager, and Francis Gillot told Davies that they needed him for a push for Europe as they are just three points back from seventh place and Davies will be the difference maker. Off the pitch, Davies appears more like himself as the swelling from the extensive facial surgery that we saw in the ESPN interview with Jeremy Schaap is gone. Aside from a scar running from jaw bone to jaw bone, Davies looks like himself. He has regained the 15 pounds he lost after the accident. He's had six surgeries and will be going under the knife one last time this week to remove the metal plate in his left elbow. Davies also speaks about his girlfriend being a rock for him through this process. He also finds himself much more emotional and religious than he was prior to the accident. On the pitch, Davies is being fueled by the folks on the web talking about how we need to find a replacement for him. As he said on soccernet, "These people don't know, they don't know me, and if they just knew me alone, let alone the determination and will I have now, you guys don't know. When I tell people I'm doing agility on the ladder and I'm running on the treadmill, people are like, 'No way.' They tell me, 'If you're back, this is the greatest comeback in the history of sports.' It feels good when I hear all this talk because I'm going to be able to play two months in France. I plan on making a difference at the World Cup." Davies plans to return to France to finish his rehab with Sochaux in February and is projected to return to play in April, giving him two months to return to the form that saw him locked in as a starting forward for the US.
And now this from Davies' twitter account: "Last Night in the US for a while. Enjoying some good home cooking. Then rehabbing like a beast in France and back on the field soon. Bless" This is good.
There's a pretty nasty one of his elbow after the last surgery, but I can't find it. Fresh stitches don't look so good.
Yes...but I have also been curious about some of the scars. I'm sure those will be out at some point after he's completed his comeback in a look back feature. There is the first ESPN interview he did, but it was very brief. His face is extremely swollen and he hardly even looks like himself. The latest pictures would make you swear nothing happened to the guy...until he puts his arm up to show off his elbow.
Charlie Davies had his first press conference since returning to Sochaux last Monday. He speaks about his time at a rehabilitation facility in France with Michael Essien and Ashley Cole among other things. Said there's no pain...but also no strength. He's been on the ball a few times and feels good about it. The swelling on his face seems to be going down, but he still looks like a lot more like New York Governor Paterson than the potential break-out star of the World Cup he was in October.
I just caught this, courtesy of The Original Winger. Its a piece about some random old guy, Jim Hashimoto, Charlie Davies (and his rehab) and the machine that links them all. [video=youtube;uGCaWCZCRgw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCaWCZCRgw[/video]
