Via Brian Straus
twitter @BrianStraus
Charlie Davies is ready to be a grown-up. He's ready to be a role model.
The man whose life changed forever when he skipped out on national team curfew (less than 48 hours before a World Cup qualifier) and got into an SUV with a woman who'd been drinking now wants to be the player to whom others turn for guidance.
He's hoping to get that chance with D.C. United, which is trialing the 24-year-old striker in Florida. If Davies can demonstrate that he's able to contribute, the MLS club will acquire him on a year-long loan from Sochaux.
Naturally, he hopes those contributions show up on the scoreboard.
"I think as far as on the field just to show that I'm back, as far as being physically able to contribute and be the player that I was before," he said during a Friday conference call when FanHouse asked what he hoped to show United during his tryout.
"Whether that's using my speed, creating chances, scoring goals -- all of the above -- that I do. That's just being out there and and being the player that I am."
But Davies also wants to make an impact that can't be quantified.
It's certainly fair to say that he's engaged in some impetuous behavior over the past 16 months. From that fateful and fatal night in Washington, to the comments and tweets that created rifts with both Sochaux and U.S. coach Bob Bradley last spring, and to the October incident where he lied to French traffic cops in order to protect a speeding teammate, Davies hasn't always taken the mature and professional path.
He implied Friday that he's ready to do that now, telling FanHouse that he wants to offer his leadership and new-found wisdom to his teammates.
"As far as off the field, (my goal is to be) helping the younger guys in certain situations on the field, and obviously giving my input and my advice, since I've been through a lot of things," he said. "So I can help out these younger guys, and even the guys who have more experience.
"It's just being the guy (who) guys can go to with questions, and obviously helping out guys on the field and off the field."
Davies is an unknown quantity in both places. Obviously, no one is sure whether he can perform consistently at a professional level.
He was "out of favor" at Sochaux, D.C. coach Ben Olsen told MLS's ExtraTime Radio, and Davies acknowledged during the Friday call that, "Do I need to improve on different things? Of course. I haven't played in a year at a high level, in a competitive match, so I still have to progress."
Olsen and his staff will have a sense by the end of next week how far Davies has come as a soccer player.
Should he stick with United, we'll all have the chance to see his evolution as a person.
He admitted his culpability in the events leading to the October 2009 accident that left one woman dead and Davies' body shattered, and expressed his appreciation for the memorable show of support from Washington fans two nights later as the U.S. took on Costa Rica.
"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 I'd love to have the chance and the opportunity to play in front of them and make things happen," he said.
Taking responsibility for your actions -- that shows some genuine adult perspective.
Davies offered some more toward the end of the call, responding to a question from FanHouse about how he has trained and behaved differently since the accident.
"Of course when you go through something like I went through, extra training is normal. Every day, if there's doubles, you're doing triples. If (there's) singles, you're doing double. I've put in the work to get to where I am now. I know it's not going to stop," he said.
"You can't take things for granted anymore. I think it's one of the biggest things I've learned. I wake up every day and I'm so thankful I can go out and put on my boots and play with the ball and play with my teammates. I look at it, if you can go out and do it, you go out and do it to the fullest. I think in that sense, there's no limit to where I can work and where I can get to."
Olsen said he's going to hold Davies to a high standard, that he needs a striker who can contribute immediately, and that he hasn't been in touch with anyone at Sochaux regarding the player's health. It's all on the line for Davies over the course of the next week.
The coach did say, however, that Davies' "intangibles are very good."
He's needed them to get over the trauma of the crash, and through the disappointment of missing the World Cup and the rigorous rehabilitation and training that's brought him to the verge of an MLS contract.
He'll need them going forward as well, to make good on his Friday promise to be team leader and to prove that he's become a person who can make the right decisions. That sort of player is far easier to cheer for.
twitter @BrianStraus
Charlie Davies is ready to be a grown-up. He's ready to be a role model.
The man whose life changed forever when he skipped out on national team curfew (less than 48 hours before a World Cup qualifier) and got into an SUV with a woman who'd been drinking now wants to be the player to whom others turn for guidance.
He's hoping to get that chance with D.C. United, which is trialing the 24-year-old striker in Florida. If Davies can demonstrate that he's able to contribute, the MLS club will acquire him on a year-long loan from Sochaux.
Naturally, he hopes those contributions show up on the scoreboard.
"I think as far as on the field just to show that I'm back, as far as being physically able to contribute and be the player that I was before," he said during a Friday conference call when FanHouse asked what he hoped to show United during his tryout.
"Whether that's using my speed, creating chances, scoring goals -- all of the above -- that I do. That's just being out there and and being the player that I am."
But Davies also wants to make an impact that can't be quantified.
It's certainly fair to say that he's engaged in some impetuous behavior over the past 16 months. From that fateful and fatal night in Washington, to the comments and tweets that created rifts with both Sochaux and U.S. coach Bob Bradley last spring, and to the October incident where he lied to French traffic cops in order to protect a speeding teammate, Davies hasn't always taken the mature and professional path.
He implied Friday that he's ready to do that now, telling FanHouse that he wants to offer his leadership and new-found wisdom to his teammates.
"As far as off the field, (my goal is to be) helping the younger guys in certain situations on the field, and obviously giving my input and my advice, since I've been through a lot of things," he said. "So I can help out these younger guys, and even the guys who have more experience.
"It's just being the guy (who) guys can go to with questions, and obviously helping out guys on the field and off the field."
Davies is an unknown quantity in both places. Obviously, no one is sure whether he can perform consistently at a professional level.
He was "out of favor" at Sochaux, D.C. coach Ben Olsen told MLS's ExtraTime Radio, and Davies acknowledged during the Friday call that, "Do I need to improve on different things? Of course. I haven't played in a year at a high level, in a competitive match, so I still have to progress."
Olsen and his staff will have a sense by the end of next week how far Davies has come as a soccer player.
Should he stick with United, we'll all have the chance to see his evolution as a person.
He admitted his culpability in the events leading to the October 2009 accident that left one woman dead and Davies' body shattered, and expressed his appreciation for the memorable show of support from Washington fans two nights later as the U.S. took on Costa Rica.
"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 I'd love to have the chance and the opportunity to play in front of them and make things happen," he said.
Taking responsibility for your actions -- that shows some genuine adult perspective.
Davies offered some more toward the end of the call, responding to a question from FanHouse about how he has trained and behaved differently since the accident.
"Of course when you go through something like I went through, extra training is normal. Every day, if there's doubles, you're doing triples. If (there's) singles, you're doing double. I've put in the work to get to where I am now. I know it's not going to stop," he said.
"You can't take things for granted anymore. I think it's one of the biggest things I've learned. I wake up every day and I'm so thankful I can go out and put on my boots and play with the ball and play with my teammates. I look at it, if you can go out and do it, you go out and do it to the fullest. I think in that sense, there's no limit to where I can work and where I can get to."
Olsen said he's going to hold Davies to a high standard, that he needs a striker who can contribute immediately, and that he hasn't been in touch with anyone at Sochaux regarding the player's health. It's all on the line for Davies over the course of the next week.
The coach did say, however, that Davies' "intangibles are very good."
He's needed them to get over the trauma of the crash, and through the disappointment of missing the World Cup and the rigorous rehabilitation and training that's brought him to the verge of an MLS contract.
He'll need them going forward as well, to make good on his Friday promise to be team leader and to prove that he's become a person who can make the right decisions. That sort of player is far easier to cheer for.
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