Charlie Davies and the Gold Cup roster: in or out?
by Steve Davis on May 18, 2011 10:55 AM EDT
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I made a point a couple of days ago to look at some of the comments attached to a report on D.C. United. I wanted to gauge the public temperature on Charlie Davies, who desperately wants to get back into U.S. national team good graces.
Which is convenient, because Bob Bradley’s program could darn sure use a forward capable of scoring goals, stretching defenses and doing all the hurly-burly that goes with being a striker at top level. In short, the United States needs exactly what Davies was two summers back.
Unfortunately, Davies isn’t that guy right now.
He might get back there, but “might get back” doesn’t get you on a team. It shouldn’t, anyway. But there’s tremendous interest in the guy, who had become the next great U.S. striker hope before his devastating injuries of October 2009.
If it were my call, I wouldn’t name Davies to the Gold Cup roster (which should be released on May 23, if not earlier.)
And if I were a wagering man, I’d bet a Krugerrand or so that Davies won’t be on the 23-man list. Read on for the “whys and wherefores.” …
Davies’ strained hamstring probably makes it all moot, anyway. Still, I see that there are plenty of good U.S. supporters out there who still support the idea of Davies’ inclusion. “He’ll be back in two weeks, right? Why not put him on there?”
Here’s the thing: There is an emotional element to all this. We love good stories. And Davies’ remarkable comeback isn’t just a good story, it’s a great one. So we cheer for the guy, even if he does have a history of make some dunderheaded choices. (Why we pull so hard for athletes who can’t seem to get their %#*% together and can’t seem to take proper advantage of the fabulous opportunities granted them, well, I suppose that’s a whole other jar of pickles.)
But Bradley, as I’ve written before, simply cannot consider emotions when he chooses the roster. He has to consider three things: performance, roster compatibility (in terms of what position they play and locker room chemistry) and the ability to contribute something toward a team goal.
Suggestions that Davies’ appearance on the roster would somehow be an emotional, inspirational rally point for the team are simply misguided. I’m sure the other American players like the guy; I have no evidence to the contrary. But he’s not The Gipper, for heaven’s sake. It’s not like he’s such an important figure that his absence will be a major bummer. In this case, it’s just silly to suggest that the site of Davies in a U.S. shirt will somehow inspire better performance from a bunch of pro athletes.
Bradley went to RFK Stadium last weekend to gauge things for himself. That tells you something on its own. If Davies had done enough in his previous matches for D.C. United, the coach wouldn’t need to go see him for further evaluations.
Here’s what Bradley was probably looking at: what is Davies doing off the ball? Is he helping his team with quality runs, some bent on opening space for others? Is he reliably working into good spots for others to find him? Is he making an immediate, quick transition from offense to defense? Is he working to win second balls? What is his body language when the ball doesn’t come his way?
Because if you listen to Bradley, he has always insisted on these things from a forward. It may be a little bit of a sliding scale; if you can score goals with the proficiency of Ruud van Nistelrooy at his best, then maybe you get a little bit of a pass on the other stuff. But how many van Nistelrooys have we seen in the U.S. shirt? Right. So you have to do the other things.
Davies has six goals this year. Three came from the penalty spot. One was a gift. As Houston coach Dominic Kinnear told me about his forward, Will Bruin, whose hat trick included a couple of fairly routine finishes, “You still have to score them.”
Fair enough. But Davies just isn’t there. I’m not seeing that signature burst of speed applied throughout a match. I don’t see him creating enough opportunities for himself. I still see a first touch that doesn’t look as sharp as it needs to be.
And finally, I see a guy who goes to the ground a little too easily rather than fighting to keep his feet and make something happen. (FYI, he’s getting a rep for that, and it will hurt his team in the long run.)
He’s a good MLS forward at this point. But I’m not sure he’s a good international forward.
There are World Cup qualifiers ahead. Just because Davies isn’t on the Gold Cup roster, that doesn’t mean he can’t play a vital role in qualifying. To put him on the team now might even be counterproductive, a reward unearned.
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Just like everyone else, I want to see Davies succeed.
I agree with you, however. In spite of his poor decision-making, my heart aches for the guy and I want to see him get back to the level at which he was able to previously compete. He’s just not there, though… and the sad part is that he might not ever really get to that level again.
(And, for that matter, who’s to say that his very brief greatness wasn’t just a flash-in-the-pan… kind of like the 5 minutes that Eddie Johnson was great on the international stage.)
It’s a virtual miracle that Davies can play professionally at all after coming back from such horrible injuries. We all want to see the Hollywood end to the story and watch him take the field in the World Cup and propel the USA to greatness. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn’t write the script in the real world.
Steve--I agree with you!
I’m a DCU fan so I see a lot of CD9 and have watched much of his play (in person or tape/internet). Here’s my take:
—he’s unselfish and has made some lovely balls to teammates
—his speed is good and he can stretch defenses right now
—his finishing touch is surprisingly good…lots of one touch chances that have been scores or on goal requiring a tough safe
—good conditioning…he can go 90+ minutes with hard work and running.
On the downside:
—first touch is very weak. He should have 3 other goals on breakaways/counters that he missed b/c of a bad first touch that put the ball too far in front of him and allowed GKs or defenders to get to it first
—feed him in close for a one touch finish and he’s fine. Let him counter into space and he’s fine. But otherwise his game is limited at this point. He’s the equivalent of Robbie Findley (with better distribution skills) right now.
I think he’ll get his game back. Part of this is simply that he hasn’t played in high speed competitive soccer in some time. Positioning, decision-making, timing, exploiting seams…all of that needs work but there’s no reason why it can’t come.
The biggest question was if he’d ever return physically. The man has speed. If he lost a step he’s still faster than all but 2-3 defenders that he faces in MLS and faster than most of the current NT forward pool. And he finishes and distributes. But he’s got a very limited game right now and until he develops more (or unless BB simply doesn’t have good options…I mean, it’s not like Agudelo and EJ are getting PT) he needs to wait for NT time.
In Agudelo's defense
he’s not getting PT b/c he’s buried on the depth chart behind two really good strikers in Henry and Rodgers. Kind of like when Wondo was struggling for PT at Houston in 06-07 b/c he was buried behind DeRo and Ching.
Wondo deserves another callup. All he does is score goals. He is ahead of pretty much everyone except maybe Buddle and Altidore right now on the USMNT depth chart in my opinion.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on May 18, 2011 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Irrelevant
I don’t care if Agudelo is sitting behind Henry and Rodgers, or Rooney and Tevez, or Michael Burke and Joseph Ngwenya. The point is: he not getting PT which means he’s not as sharp as you’d like. NT coaches have some times brought in players who weren’t getting minutes as a way to help get their game back on track. And given Agudelo’s recent performances with the NT, I won’t be surprised if he gets a callup. But…to be brutally honest…I’m not going to be shocked if he stays home.
If you look at the pool of NT forward candidates (even excluding Donovan and Dempsey), there are a bunch of guys (Davies, Bunbury, Wondolowski, Cooper, Buddle, Adu) who are all starting and playing regularly now. I think the world of Agudelo. But he’s not so good that a player who’s less fit and less sharp is automatically better than anyone else in the pool.
4 forwards I would put on the roster
Wondolowski, Cooper, Buddle, Adu
Chad the Ref
Why Wondo and Adu?
I’d love to see Bunbury. Completely agree on Buddle and Cooper. Oh, and Braun at least in the 23. That kid needs to get in the game pronto.
by chrisperry1983 on May 18, 2011 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Adu
I think Adu brings a creativity that the USMNT needs. Plus he’s still quite young. I still hold out hope that he’ll make it all the way back.
I hope he does too
And I guess he is doing better with Beskitas or wherever he is… But its still second tier Turkish league. I have hope…but not holding my breath I guess.
by chrisperry1983 on May 18, 2011 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Eventually, but not at the Gold Cup
Bunbury, Agudelo, Wondolowski and as a shocker, Hercules Gomez…. Just for kicks…
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I kind of agree but I would not be upset if he was on the squad and got some time. It has become clear that the USA cares little about the Gold Cup, so if Bradley wants to see if Davies can play on an international level, I think the Gold Cup would be a good indicator (although it is early in his comeback).
He will face much better competition and I think will give a much better read on his performance than if he plays in some early WC qualifiers.
WTF?!?
If you think we don’t care about this Gold Cup, then I advise you to actually go and look at what everyone is saying about it. This year’s Gold Cup is hella important because of the potential to go to the Confederations Cup. And why is the Confederations Cup important? I bring you exhibit A: USA vs. Spain at Confederations Cup 2009. Not only was it a dry run for the players to get used to where they would be playing, it showed what we were capable of on the world stage.
Saying that USA doesn’t care about it sounds like a misinformed statement.
Other Davies Thoughts
1. I totally disagree wth the post that the USA cares little about the Gold Cup—I think the reverse is true: the USA cares GREATLY about the Gold Cup to the point that we’ll send a weaker roster to other competitions to save our better team for the Gold Cup (see the Copa America as just one example).
2. Here’s the best case for putting Davies on the Gold Cup team:
-he’s fast (he’s regained his speed) and would be one of the fastest if not the fastest candidate we have. And for a competitive team, BB (like many coaches-that’s why Bora put Cobi Jones on the "94 WC team) likes having a speedster to come on as a counter threat, to run against tired legs or to force a defense to back up and not play high pressure. That’s why Findley made the 2010 WC team—his speed. Who else does the US have that is comparable to Davies in speed? Agudelo isn’t bad but Davies is faster. Bunbury isn’t bad. EJ isn’t bad. And he’s significantly faster than some of the other names that might get considered (Wondolowski, Cooper, Braun).
—arguably his finishing touch is as good as any other and better than most other strikers the US would look at. For instance, while much of Davies’ game is rusty (his first touch is bad right now), his finishing touch (and I don’t say this b/c he has 6 goals) has been very good. He’s often hit the ball too far in front on breakaways. But you don’t see him skying balls over the net very often and when served a ball into a dangerous space he’s put it on frame and 3 times put it in the net (2 of those times were 1 or 2 touches in tight space). I dare say that right now, he’s a sharper finisher than Bunbury, Agudelo, Cooper, maybe Braun and Gomez (who strikes me as streaky).
And that said, I wouldn’t take Davies if I were coach of the Gold Cup team.
Has Mwanga gotten his citizenship yet?
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