[nas] Fwd: Charlie Davies

>
> Much ado about Davies
>  
> By Frank Dell'Apa
> The  Boston Globe -- December 19, 2006
>  
> When the soccer paths of Freddy Adu and Charlie Davies first crossed, 
> Davies was 13 years old. In the seven years since they played together 
> on an all-regional team, Adu has become one of Major League Soccer's 
> star attractions and Davies has kept a much lower profile, only 
> returning to prominence this year, his second full season at Boston 
> College.
>  
> But, in recent days, Adu's career might have reached a plateau and 
> Davies's career appears to be taking off.
>  
> Adu was traded from MLS regular-season champion D.C. United to  Real 
> Salt  Lake last week. Davies returns to his Manchester, N.H., home 
> today from Sweden, where he has a signed a contract with Hammarby IF.
>  
> Like Adu, Davies was projected as a top MLS draft choice. But, though 
> Davies was offered a high salary by MLS standards, the league was not 
> willing to place him on Adu's level. When Adu entered the draft, it 
> was arranged for D.C. United to be in position to choose him. Davies 
> hoped for a similar arrangement, plus a contract matching Adu's $1 
> million-plus annual income in salary and sponsorship.
>  
> "The MLS didn't want to pay what Charlie wanted, plus he wanted to 
> play for the Revolution or D.C. United," Davies's father, Kofi, said 
> yesterday. "Hammarby made a great offer for him and now we all have to 
> get passports so we can go to Sweden. I am happy but it's bittersweet 
> because of the distance involved in going to see him. I haven't been 
> on a plane in 30 years. But the way they treated him in Sweden, it was 
> like the coming of Pele."
>  
> Davies has not been overly-hyped -- he was cut from the US Under-20 
> national team, then sustained a career-threatening knee injury. But he 
> can be a spectacular performer, speedy and tactically astute with a 
> scorer's instincts. Davies scored 15 goals in 16 games for BC and 
> added six goals in eight games for the semi-pro Westchester Flames 
> this year. His most impressive performance might have been in an April 
> scrimmage against the Revolution, when he converted twice, including a 
> bicycle kick goal.
>  
> "[Hammarby's] commitment to him makes this a different situation," BC 
> coach Ed Kelly said. "Not many players go from college to Manchester 
> United,  Ajax, or  Chelsea. This is a steppingstone."
>  
> Davies was offered a contract by MLS in late November. In the first 
> week of December, Davies traveled to  St. Louis for the Hermann Award 
> presentation (he finished second behind Notre Dame's Joseph Lapira in 
> the voting for collegiate player of the year). Then it was off to 
> Amsterdam for a tryout with AFC Ajax .
>  
> "One of the concerns was that he would be locked into the MLS for six 
> years," Kelly said. " Hammarby had looked at him in the ACC 
> [tournament] and, in his heart, he wanted to try Europe. He is willing 
> to take gambles, off the field and on the field, and that is what 
> makes him special as a player. I have no doubt he will succeed."
>  
> Davies's four-year contract with Hammarby is worth about $175,000 
> annually with a $400,000 signing bonus. MLS offered Davies a contract 
> worth about $1 million over five years, not including bonuses. A 
> crucial difference between Allsvenska clubs and MLS is the Swedish 
> league is quite willing to export talent. Scandinavia is known as a 
> proving ground, especially for British and German clubs.
>  
> "There is no question Hammarby is looking to bring [Davies] there and 
> move him on," said Natick-based agent Patrick McCabe . "That is the 
> goal of every team over there, to sell players for a profit. They have 
> sold several players directly to the Premiership."
>  
> Hammarby's roster is now beyond the three foreign player limit, with 
> Sebastian Eguren (Uruguay), former Dallas forward Toni Nhleko (South 
> Africa), and forward Paulinho Guara (Brazil) also on board.
>  
> Davies is among the few New England-born and raised soccer players to 
> sign their first professional contract in Europe. Another former BC 
> striker, Irishman Paul Keegan, has been offered a contract with 
> Motherwell in Scotland's Premier League. Keegan, 33, who performed for 
> the Revolution from 1996-2000, has been playing for St. Patrick's 
> Athletic in Ireland.
>  
> Among the next area prospects could be Davies's brother, Justin, a 
> senior at the Brooks School.
>  
> "One of the reasons Charlie turned pro is because he wants to play for 
> the Olympic team, and everyone on that team is professional," Kofi 
> Davies said. "And, after that, he is looking at the 2010 World Cup. If 
> he stayed in college he wouldn't have a chance."
>  
>  
> Davies Sweden-bound
>  
> By KEVIN GRAY
> Union-Leader – December 20, 2006
>  
> Christmas shopping just got a little easier for Charlie Davies.
>  
> By the time his next credit card statement comes in the mail, Davies 
> will be the second-highest paid soccer player in  Sweden. The 
> Manchester native just returned from Stockholm, where he signed a 
> four-year contract with Hammarby IF worth a reported $400,000 per 
> year, according to his father.
>  
> The deal includes an undisclosed signing bonus and incentives that 
> could push his earnings comfortably above that figure.
>  
> Named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year after his junior season at  
> Boston College, Davies will forgo his senior year and join Hammarby 
> soon. He recently spent time in the Scandinavian country and toured 
> the 16,000-seat stadium, where Hammarby plays in Sweden's top 
> division.
>  
> Davies grew up playing on soccer fields throughout Manchester and 
> attended Brooks School in  North Andover, Mass. He signed a 
> scholarship to play at  Boston College and made an immediate impact in 
> the Big East, earning Rookie of the Year honors after starting all 20 
> matches and leading the Eagles with 22 points.
>  
> During his sophomore year, he played in only one game for the Eagles 
> after returning from a career-threatening knee injury. This past 
> season, Davies led Boston College with 15 goals -- all while thinking 
> more and more about a pro career.
>  
> Davies entertained offers from other European teams in addition to a 
> deal from U.S.-based Major League Soccer that would have paid him 
> about $200,000 per year. He was interested in playing for the New 
> England Revolution, D.C. United or New York, but terms of the deal 
> didn't guarantee his placement with any specific team. An MLS deal 
> also meant wearing the Adidas brand, since the athletic apparel 
> company owns exclusive rights to MLS clothing and equipment.
>  
> Davies instead signed an endorsement deal with Nike, which will pay 
> him an additional $75,000 per year for the next four years. He inked 
> the deal last week.
>  
> Overall, a contract with the Swedish team meant more money and a 
> greater opportunity for career advancement into premier leagues 
> featuring the world's greatest players.
>  
> "He wanted to play in  Europe, and they wanted him. They've been 
> scouting him," Davies' father, Kofi, said. "He is going into the 
> starting lineup right away. Now it's not about potential. It's about 
> producing."
>  
>  
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