Sports psychologist gets striker scoring again From the moment he nearly lost his life in a tragic car accident nearly two years ago, Charlie Davies has had an entire country behind him, urging on his recovery and return.
But Davies has relied on himself to push through each milestone of his comeback — until this summer. Stuck in a scoring rut since late June after a quick start with D.C. United, Davies decided he had been alone long enough.
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| D.C. United at Sounders FC |
| When » Saturday, 9 p.m. |
| Where » CenturyLink Field, Seattle |
| TV » CSN |
“I’m not a guy who feels like he needs to talk with people to get over things,” Davies said. “Going through everything I did in the car accident and getting back, rehabbing and then the ups and downs, everyone always asks me, ‘Who have you been speaking with throughout this whole thing?’ And I always say, ‘Nobody.’?”
During United’s recent 20-day gap between games, including a four-day break over Labor Day, Davies leaned on sports psychologist Tom Perrin, who has worked with D.C. United regularly this season. Perrin helped the striker dissect what had gone wrong since he scored six times in his first eight MLS matches.
“He got me really thinking about what the problem was,” Davies said. “He told me that I had been becoming a reactive player instead of making things happen and going out there and trying to establish something in the game, trying to wait for something to come to me.”
Davies responded by netting a hat trick in last week’s 3-0 win over Chivas USA, earning himself an MLS player of the week award and getting back into the MLS scoring race. His 11 goals moved him to third in the league.
But the long sought offensive production is the easy part.
“I was more encouraged with the way he went about the game,” United coach Ben Olsen said. “I saw a lot of little things he did that were missing over that two months, and it wasn’t the goals. It was his movement, being a threat in behind and being alert. All that stuff was promising and in a lot of ways is more important for us than the goals.”
The contribution is essential as United (8-7-10) makes a playoff push, particularly following the likely season-ending injury of midfielder Chris Pontius (broken leg).
Still, Davies is one of a few D.C. United players whose future beyond this season remains unsettled. In an attempt to lock down a core of players for the future, United has handed new contracts in the last year to goalkeeper Bill Hamid, midfielder Andy Najar and defender Brandon McDonald, among others. Davies remains on loan from Sochaux in France, so his situation is more complex.
But the 25-year-old striker is clearheaded again where it matters most: on the field.
“I know everything will be sorted [out], and I can’t really worry about that now,” Davies said. “All I know is the situation I’m in now with D.C. United, I’m extremely happy, and I see the talent and how they’re building this team for the future.”
