Charlie Davies' Sochaux Comeback Not Looking Good

Considered by many to be a potential starter alongside Jozy Altidore for the 2014 World Cup, young striker Charlie Davies is facing a steep upward climb to recover from injuries suffered last October.

For those who don't know, Davies was involved in a one-car accident just over a year ago that saw him suffer from a lacerated bladder, fractured right tibia and femur, a fractured elbow, facial injuries and bleeding on the brain.

Along with that, a fellow passenger in the car with Davies was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

After several months of rehabilitation, Davies was not able to fully recover from his injuries and was not selected to join the United States preliminary 2010 World Cup roster in May.

Since not getting selected, Davies continued to try to recover from his injuries, but it appears that it will take him longer than expected to get back to full-match fitness.

According to a radio interview from last Thursday, Sochaux coach Francis Gillot said it won't be before January that he'll be able to count on Davies to be a solid contributor for the club.

To make matters worse for Davies, Sochaux's fitness trainer Cedric Blomme, said that it's even a struggle for Davies to play on Sochaux's "B" team in the CFA, the fourth level of French football.

To make matters even more worse, Davies looked miserable in that fourth tier of French football.

According to Sébastien Daucourt of L'Est Républicain, Davies was, "painful to watch" during a recent reserve game for Sochaux.

Also according to Daucourt, Davies' "misery lingered. He touched just a few meager balls with which he hardly did anything. He even began to grouse after his teammates before heading directly to the locker room, his head low, after his substitution."

In Davies' next match, on Aug. 28, he was red-carded and has since not played for the reserves.

Out of all of this, we have all realized that he was nowhere close to being a capable player for the United States national team during last summer's World Cup.

But now, we all also need to realize the sad reality that Davies might never fully recover from the injuries suffered during the car crash from October of 2009.

The fact that it is a year later and he isn't able to at least play for the reserves really is a terrible sign about Davies' immediate future.

Now, everyone will still hope and pray that he can recover to his form prior to the car crash nearly a year ago, but at the moment it's not looking that optimistic for Davies and his football career.