Charlie Davies facts for kids
Davies during a 2011 regular season match against the Houston Dynamo
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Charles Desmond Davies | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | June 25, 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Manchester, New Hampshire, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | United States U20 | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | United States U23 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | United States | 17 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Charles Desmond Davies (born June 25, 1986) is an American former professional soccer player. He played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals.
Davies set many soccer records in high school. He then played for the Boston College Eagles and the Westchester Flames in college. In 2006, Davies signed his first professional contract with a Swedish club called Hammarby IF. Later, in 2009, he joined a French team, Sochaux.
Davies played seventeen games for the United States national team between 2007 and 2009. He scored four goals for his country.
On October 13, 2009, Davies was in a very serious car accident. This accident caused him severe injuries. It meant he could not play in the 2010 World Cup. This event also greatly affected his international playing career.
Contents
Early Life and College Soccer
Charlie Davies was born in New Hampshire. His father, Kofi Davies, came from the Gambia. He encouraged Charlie to play soccer and even coached him.
Charlie went to the Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts. He graduated in 2004. While there, he broke many scoring records. He scored 29 goals in his junior year and 30 goals in his senior year. In his last year, he helped Brooks School win a league championship with a 15–0 record. He also wrestled and was a New England Prep School Champion three times.
After high school, Davies went to Boston College. He played for the Eagles for three seasons. In his second year, a knee injury cut his season short. During his college years, he also played for the Westchester Flames. He scored six goals in nine games for them. He ended his college career with 24 goals and 10 assists in 37 games.
Professional Soccer Career
After three years of college, Davies decided to become a professional soccer player. He was a very talented player. Many thought he would be a top pick in the MLS draft. However, Davies chose to play in Europe instead of joining Major League Soccer.
Playing for Hammarby
Davies first tried out for a Dutch club, Ajax, but it didn't work out. In December 2006, he signed his first professional contract. This was with Allsvenskan club Hammarby IF in Sweden.
At first, he found it hard to score goals. He often switched between being a starter and a substitute. On June 24, 2007, he scored his first goal for the club. It was the winning goal in a game against Klaksvik. In the last game of the 2007 season, Davies scored three goals, which is called a hat-trick.
The 2008 season was a big success for Davies. He scored 14 goals in 27 games. Because he played so well, many bigger clubs wanted him. But he stayed with Hammarby.
The 2009 season also started well for him. He scored four goals in the first nine league games. He also scored two goals in a Swedish Cup match. These goals helped his team win 3–2 in extra time.
Moving to Sochaux
On July 10, 2009, Davies signed with Ligue 1 club Sochaux in France. In his second game with Sochaux, Davies came in as a substitute. He scored two goals, but his team still lost 3–2.
However, after only eight games, Davies was seriously injured in a car accident. This happened while he was in the United States. He returned to training in April 2010. He was finally back on the team roster in December 2010.
After playing on loan for D.C. United in 2011, Davies came back to Sochaux. He played his first game since his accident on February 11, 2012.
Playing for D.C. United
Davies joined D.C. United on loan for the 2011 MLS season. He made his first appearance on March 19, 2011. He came in as a substitute and scored two goals. A week later, he scored his third goal. By May 4, he was leading MLS in scoring with six goals.
On September 11, Davies scored another hat-trick. This helped United win 3–0. At the end of 2011, D.C. United decided not to keep him permanently. After his loan, Davies said he had some disagreements with the coaching staff.
Time with Randers
Davies then left Sochaux and signed a two-year deal with Randers in Denmark. He made his debut for Randers on July 22, 2012. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win. He did not score any goals during his time with Randers.
Joining New England Revolution
On August 8, 2013, Davies was loaned to the New England Revolution for the rest of the 2013 MLS season. In early 2014, he joined New England permanently.
Davies was a very important player for New England in 2014. He helped them reach the MLS Cup final. He scored key goals against the Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls. One goal helped New England win their playoff series 4–3.
At the end of the 2015 MLS season, Davies was named the Midnight Riders Man of the Year. This was after he scored 10 goals for the Revolution.
Playing for Philadelphia Union
On August 3, 2016, Davies was traded to Philadelphia Union. He played for them until the end of the 2017 season.
Charlie Davies announced he was retiring from playing soccer on March 2, 2018.
International Career
Youth Teams
Davies played ten games for the United States U-20 men's national soccer team. He did not make the team for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. However, he was included in the Milk Cup competition a month later. He led the team to the final and scored a hat trick. This made him the MVP and gave the U.S. its first Milk Cup win.
Davies then aimed to play for the under-23 national team. He trained and played with them. He made the team for the men's tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He played in one game at the Olympics. He almost scored a goal that would have sent his team to the next round.
Senior National Team
Davies played his first game for the senior national team on June 2, 2007. It was a friendly game against China. Later that summer, he played in the 2007 Copa América.
On October 15, 2008, he scored his first national team goal. This was in a World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago. He scored his second goal against Egypt in the 2009 Confederations Cup. On August 12, 2009, Davies scored the first goal against Mexico in Mexico City. He was only the fourth American to score a goal in the famous Azteca Stadium.
Davies was not on the U.S. team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This was because his French club team, Sochaux, did not clear him to play. He was still recovering from his serious car accident in October 2009.
Personal Life
Automobile Accident
On October 13, 2009, Charlie Davies was in a serious car accident. He was a passenger in an SUV in Washington, D.C. The accident caused the vehicle to break apart. Another person in the car sadly passed away.
Davies suffered many serious injuries. These included a bladder injury, broken leg bones, a broken elbow, and facial fractures. He also had some bleeding on his brain. Despite these injuries, Davies was determined to recover. He hoped to be running by March and play in the World Cup. He returned to France for rehabilitation in February 2010. He started light training in March. However, his club did not medically clear him to play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Health Challenges
In the spring of 2016, Davies was diagnosed with liposarcoma. This is a type of cancer. He bravely faced this health challenge during his career.
Images for kids
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Davies playing for D.C. United
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Davies before a match for the United States men's national team
See also
In Spanish: Charlie Davies para niños
