Davies Wants to Send Friend LD Out on Losing Note

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – In a perfect world, Charlie Davies wouldn’t be trying to send friend and former U.S. teammate Landon Donovan into retirement on a disappointing note. But that’s a luxury the Revolution striker clearly doesn’t have.

The reality is, of course, that Davies and his Revolution teammates will be doing all they can for the chance to lift the MLS Cup trophy at the expense of the LA Galaxy and Donovan, whose final game coincides with Sunday’s championship tilt.

“I feel like I have to send him out with a loss,” Davies said, with a laugh. “(It’s) is not the best for him because he’s been so instrumental for U.S. Soccer, and me, personally, because he pushed all of us in the younger generation to reach these new heights.”

The new heights that Davies is alluding to is the elevated success of the U.S. Men’s National Team, as well as some of its star players, many of whom are either plying their trade in top-flight European football or earning millions stateside in MLS.

But before the U.S. the U.S. survived the Group of Death in 2014, salvaged a point from England in the 2010 World Cup, or even reached the Confederations Cup final in 2009, Davies was just another young player trying to impress the American icon himself.

“I’ll never forget my first cap was with Lee Nguyen (in 2007), coming into the locker room and then you see Landon Donovan walk in and you’re like ‘Oh my God, this is crazy!’” Davies said. “I was so excited to finally get a chance to play with him.”

It wasn’t long thereafter that Davies and Donovan had become attacking partners on the pitch. In the Confederations Cup final, Davies fed Donovan on the opening goal, while Donovan’s service to Davies at the Azteca two months later gave the U.S. a rare measure of success at the legendary Mexican venue.

Though Davies’ National Team future was derailed by his well-documented 2009 car accident, his impressive postseason strike ratio has him knocking on the door for a possible call-up. But if he does get another opportunity to wear the U.S. crest, the truth is that Davies won’t get the chance to combine one more time with Donovan.

Whatever the future may hold for both, Davies is looking forward to sharing the pitch with his friend one more time, albeit as adversaries.

“It’ll be great to play against him in the final in his last game,” Davies said. “But I hate to say it: I hope that we beat him, and that he doesn’t do so well.”