Former United States national team budding star Charlie Davies, under contract with Denmark’s Randers FC, will sign a six-month loan with the New England Revolution, Soccer by Ives reported on Thursday.
While Ives Galarcep is reporting the loan is a done deal and could be announced by Friday, The Washington Post’s Steven Goff tweeted that D.C. United, the club Davies left after the 2011 season (where he was also on loan), still owns his rights.
As such, the Revolution and United have to agree to a trade before Davies can play for New England.D.C. United trading Charlie Davies’ #MLS rights (yes, somehow, they still have his rights) to Revs. “This will get done,” source says
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) August 8, 2013
Davies burst onto the national team scene in 2007 and has scored four goals for the U.S., all in major competitions: two in World Cup qualifying, including a goal to put the U.S. up 1-0 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico before the host came back to win 2-1; one in the 2009 Confederations Cup, opening the scoring in a 3-0 rout of Egypt; and one in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
A horrific car accident on Oct. 13, 2009, in Washington derailed Davies’ career. He was in town for a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica, and he was a passenger in a car that got torn in half. His injuries included a lacerated bladder, fractured right tibia and femur, a fractured elbow, multiple facial fractures and bleeding on the brain.
He made just eight appearances with his new club in France, Sochaux, before the accident. He would only make two further appearances, after returning from D.C. on loan during the 2011 MLS season.
In 23 appearances with Randers, Davies has not scored, and he has made only three starts. A move to New England is likely another attempt to resurrect his career, although it’s nothing short of miraculous that Davies is still playing at all.