By Alex Simon
After 5 hours of surgery, it has been revealed that USMNT forward Charlie Davies has fractures to the right tibia/femur, left elbow, facial fractures and a lacerated bladder.
Davies injuries were the result of a fatal 3 am crash Tuesday morning in Virginia.
Davies was in the passenger seat when, the driver whom they did not identify, apparently lost control of the vehicle, which hit a guard rail and split in half. The other passenger in Davies car, Ashley J. Roberta, 22, was killed in the crash.
The U.S. soccer team was at an all-time high coming off of last Saturday night’s victory over Honduras in World Cup qualifying. The win guaranteed the U.S. a spot in next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
Aware of the news, USMNT coach Bob Bradley spoke after a national squad training session in preparation for Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.
“Obviously, as a team we are saddened to learn this news. Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie and his family, as well as the people in the car and the families of the others involved. As a team, we are relying on each other in a moment that has for sure hit us all hard.”
Given the extent of Davies injuries, the initial thinking is that Davies will not be ready for South Africa next year.
In the last year, the 23-year-old Davies has emerged as the team’s starting forward. Davies has also been a regular for his new team Sochaux, a division 1 team in France.
With Davies late form as well as his chemistry with teammate Jozy Altidore up top, Davies was a lock to be a starter for the U.S. team in the 2010 World Cup. Davies is without a doubt the fastest player on the USMNT and has scored some vital goals for his country of late, including a goal in the Confederation Cup against Egypt, in addition to scoring against Mexico in Azteca.