Charlie Davies relishes MLS Cup chance after life-altering accident
CARSON, Calif.
In the buildup to the biggest game of his club career, Charlie Davies laid himself bare. He spent a portion of his Wednesday afternoon delving into every facet of his life and revealing the sort of gritty details often obscured and washed away by professional athletes.
The candor stunned a few people in the room at the time, but it came naturally to the 28-year-old. He traveled to the edge a long time ago and found a way back. There isn’t much use in trying to deny it.
“It’s one of those things where I feel that I have nothing to hide,” New England forward Davies explained in the buildup to MLS Cup on Sunday. “I’m very open. I’ve always been a guy that talks about my feelings and gets it off my chest. It’s just been my childhood. That’s how I’ve grown up as a man who is able to handle very difficult situations.”
Davies cultivated those qualities during his childhood -- both of his parents struggled with their own demons as he grew up in Manchester, N.H. -- and pushed them forward into the defining moment of his career and his life.
The details, the facts and the repercussions of that traumatic car accident five years ago feel all too familiar. They know the story -- the departure from the nightclub in the wee hours, the recalculating GPS and the sudden loss of attention from the driver, the sickening way the car skidded off the road and sliced in half when it hit the guardrail, the way it shattered Davies’ body and tragically killed the other passenger – by rote and verse. They know how it transformed Davies from a player on the cusp of his first World Cup into a person with his life and his livelihood altered forever.
“I just try to take the positives out of everything,” Davies said. “This car accident has drastically changed me personally. I’m able to appreciate everything and realize how fortunate and lucky I am to be alive and be able to play soccer still. I’m grateful for all of the experiences I’ve had. It’s shaped me to be the man I am today.”
Without those experiences and without those struggles to drag himself back to full health and fitness, Davies would not find himself preparing for a final. He appeared destined for a lengthy career in Europe and with the U.S. national team. He instead slogged his way back through countless hours of rehabilitation to learn how to run again and progressed along a halting path toward his hometown team.
Davies joined the Revolution with a long-term plan in mind last August. He spent his first few months learning how to play in Jay Heaps’ 4-1-4-1 system. He took a detour on his way toward a starting role as he struggled to overcome a calf injury, but his persistence endeared him to his teammates and thrust him into a starting role during the second half of the season.
“I think he’s been the inspirational guy that when he did get his chance, you could see guys rooting for him,” Revolution coach Jay Heaps said after Davies scored twice in the 2-2 draw against New York to seal a MLS Cup berth last weekend. “It was in Dallas where he got his first start and then as the season went on after that, you could see him taking more minutes, getting more starts and when he started the team wanted to help him play better. I think that’s a pretty amazing story.”
Davies now wants to write the perfect ending for himself and his club. He grew up a Revolution fan and traveled down to games at the old Foxboro Stadium. He remembers Guillermo Ramirez’s extra time winner in 2005 and Brian Ching’s immediate response to Taylor Twellman’s potential winner a year later. He understands that his role now – an active and willing center forward with four goals scored in four playoff matches instead of the blazing striker tasked with playing off a partner and surging behind the line – provides him with an opportunity to alter history once and for all.
At this stage, Davies knows a thing or two about grabbing an opening with both hands. It provides him with the grounding to embrace the task ahead on Sunday afternoon. It is about performing for a team that has given him so much. It is also about relishing the moment itself after fighting so earnestly to place himself into a position to reach it.
“I think it’s important you take it like you do every game,” Davies said. “The same preparation. I go into it with the same type of game plan. I just work my butt off and try to help my team win. I appreciate the fact that I’m on the field. I take time to soak it in before the game and after the game. It’s one of those moments in my career that I can say is truly special. It’s probably the best moment of my career.”
All of those emotions will come pouring out in one way or another. It is who Davies is. It is how he scraped his way back to this point from the abyss. And it is why he continues to put himself out there on and off the field as he basks in the continued chance to do what he loves.
