There was a long streak of weeks in the middle of the season, when even losing a match in the
Ligue 1 maintained Lyon's place in the table. With just 10 more games to go, it is no longer the
case!
The UEFA Champions League knockout stage continues, with the finalists from the 2010 tournament
looking to secure road results in the first legs of their Round of 16 ties.
The 2010 champions, Inter Milan, are stuck in a dreadful run of form, not having won in their
last six matches (0-5-1 in that time).
It is time to pick up the pieces. Real Madrid redefined the words ‘Demolition Derby' for us
these past few weeks. But more significantly, they've left Lyon on the verge of being knocked out
from the Champions League after the group stages.
Certainly it wasn't expected that Charlie Davies get some PT today for FC Sochaux, but by throwing
the rehabbed USMNTer in the 18, American soccer fans got their collective hearts up, hoping that
the kid would see some first-team minutes. The first since his horrific car accident back in
October of 2009.
Charlie Davies' comeback in 2011 was one of the stories of the year in American soccer, as he
returned to the playing field less than two years removed from a horrifying car accident that
nearly took his life and did take the life of another passenger.
The bone-chilling details of Charlie Davies' story have been rehashed, dissected and analyzed on
television and radio shows, in newspapers and all over the Internet.
Fans fumed when he was left off the United States national team roster for the World Cup, even
though it became evident that he wasn't close to the fitness or form necessary to compete on the
highest level of international play.
It was announced today that, after weeks of training with the team, Charlie Davies has signed a
12-month loan to DC United from France's FC Sochaux. The 24 year old American striker spent the
past 16 months out of Sochaux's starting roster as he recovered from the December 2009 car crash
that cost him his spot in the 2010 World Cup, and which, incidentally, took place only miles from
what will be his new home at RFK Stadium.
WASHINGTON - After every demotion to the FC Sochaux reserves, Charlie Davies' patience was
wearing thinner and thinner.
Despite regaining health in a relatively miraculous period of time considering the severity of
his injuries, Davies' light at the end of Sochaux's tunnel wasn't getting any brighter.
D.C. United signed forward Charlie Davies on loan today from FC Sochaux in France. Davies' loan
deal is a one-year deal with United holding an option to buy out his contract next December 1st.
Washington, D.C. (February 16, 2011) - D.C. United announced today that the club
has acquired forward Charlie Davies. The Black-and-Red have signed the striker to a loan deal from
French side FC Sochaux for the 2011 season. The club used its position in the MLS allocation
ranking to acquire the forward.
Charlie Davies passed all his tests, and he'll be a member of D.C. United in 2011.
The club announced that it has signed Davies to a 12-month loan from FC Sochaux, and it will be
holding a press conference this afternoon at RFK Stadium to introduce Davies to the media.
Charlie Davies will take the field today for D.C. United in a scrimmage against Florida
International University in what will be his final chance to impress D.C. before the club decides
whether to bring him in on a season-long loan from FC Sochaux.
Davies has already impressed, netting a goal and assist and showing glimpses of his trademark
speed.
As an All- American standout who has seen success both as a Yank and in the European club
sphere, Charlie Davies has long since been on every MLS fan's list of Americans who need to come
back across the pond. Just as we all hope to see the likes of Jozy Altedore, Michael Bradly, and
perhaps even Freddy Adu back in MLS, Davies was a daydream of an MLS signing.
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - D.C. United is aiming to get back to its glory days in 2011 after a truly
forgettable year. The club's next potential player is looking to do the same thing.
Charlie Davies is in Florida with D.C., embarking on a week-long stint with the club that will
help D.
Charlie Davies' Â quest to return to the Charlie Davies of old has taken him to Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, where he began his one-week evaluation by D.C. United today.
Davies could see action on Friday when D.C. United plays its first intra-squad scrimmage of the
camp. With his paperwork coming through on Thursday morning, the FC Sochaux striker can begin
showing D.
Yesterday MLS announced that it would be making a "major" announcement today - that announcement
turned out to be that the 2011 MLS All Star Game would be played at RedBull Arena this summer. I
think former MLS player and General Manager, Alexi Lalas, summed up this announcement best when, on
Twitter, he stated: "2011 MLS All-Star game at Red Bull Arena.
Europe and their transfer deadline day grabbed all the headlines yesterday and today it was our
domestic league's turn. Today Major League Soccer announced the site of the 2011 MLS All-Star Game
(Red Bull Arena on July 27th; opponent TBA... more on this later) and it was revealed that Charlie
Davies, yes, THE Charlie Davies is returning stateside to trial with D.
Charlie Davies quest for playing time and a full recovery from the accident that nearly ended
his life could bring him to the very area where the fateful accident took place.
According to the Washington Post, D.C. United is in serious discussions to bring Charlie Davies
on a loan.
Currently with FC Sochaux, Davies has struggled for playing time on the club's reserve side and
has yet to play for the first team this year.
France national team head coach Laurent Blanc has released his roster for the upcoming friendly
against the U.S. men's national team, and as expected, the team is stacked.
Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Hugo Lloris headline a 22-man roster that will face the United
States and Belgium on November 11 and 15, respectively.
The weekend brought morale-boosting victories for five teams in UEFA Champions League round of
16 action this week. Bayern Munich were most emphatic in their pre-second leg preparations, though
Manchester United and Olympique de Marseille passed tricky tests of their own.
England
City rivals Manchester United and Manchester City will meet in the FA Cup semi-finals after safely
negotiating their last-eight ties.
Poland Euro 2012 Squad and Preview - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
As one of the co-hosts, Poland had very little competitive football to play in the last two
years and are the weakest team in the 2012 Euros according to FIFA rankings, just about the only
thing going for them is home support and a group they can find their way out of.
It will apparently take a lot more than what FC Sochaux was offering to pry Maurice Edu away
from Rangers.
The Scottish club emphatically turned down Sochaux's bid for the U.S. national team midfielder a
day after a reported offer of £500,000 was put on the table.
"What I would say is the bid that they put in was so far away that I would be very surprised if
they came back in," Rangers manager Ally McCoist told the BBC.
Liverpool are set to make a move for Algerian midfielder Ryad Boudebouz in the coming weeks.
The Algerian, who starred at last summer's World Cup, currently plays his trade at FC
Sochaux-Montbeliard, but Kenny Dalglish has identified him as a potential transfer target after
sending scouts to France last season.
Carlos Bocanegra is expected to start for St. Etienne as they wrap up the season against FC Sochaux
while Quentin Westberg and Evian look to move closer to the Ligue 2 title as they face Stade de
Reims on Friday
It has taken longer than some would have first expected, but Charlie Davies believes he is ready
to return to first team action with FC Sochaux.
Davies has stated that he is 90 percent recovered from injuries sustained in a deadly car crash
more than a year ago, and he believes he will be ably to play for Sochaux against Bordeaux on
Saturday.
