Good news for the US Soccer program.

Charlie Davies is an unstoppable force with superhuman recovery powers
By Brooks Peck

Soccernet's Ives Galarcep has a fantastic update on U.S. national striker Charlie Davies and his miraculous recovery from the deadly car accident he was involved in last October. After breaking his right femur and tibia, left elbow, suffering facial fractures and a lacerated bladder (which somehow sounds like the most awful injury of the bunch) in the crash that left another passenger dead and the driver with only minor injuries, Davies is already jogging and doing agility drills just four months later.

Says Ives:
What does this progress mean, exactly? It means that, barring any setbacks, Davies could be back on the field with club team FC Sochaux by April, meaning his chances of playing for the United States in June's World Cup should no longer be seen as a shattered dream.

"Charlie is pretty much light years ahead of where anybody would tell you he should be," said Jim Hashimoto, the former U.S. national team trainer who is overseeing Davies rehabilitation. "When everybody heard about the accident, including myself, it was like, 'OK, this is going to be a long one' -- and it's still going to be a long one, but to see his progress is pretty amazing."

And amazing sounds like an understatement. The report goes on to say how Davies has already recovered from all of his broken bones, has gained back the 15 lbs. he lost because of the six surgeries he's had so far and only has one more on his elbow before he plans on returning to Sochaux for training by the end of February. Wow.

Now, broken bones and surgeries are one thing -- lots of people go through that and come back good as new -- but if you're somehow still doubting Davies' resiliency and superhumanness, read this:
The swelling in his face that was so evident during his interview with ESPN last November has subsided, though a shorter haircut reveals the scar he has from ear to ear arcing over the top of his skull. That scar came after doctors peeled his face off down to his chin in order to repair the multiple fractures that left his facial bones a shattered mess.

The doctors peeled his face off to fix his shattered skull? That's like Terminator type stuff.
Says Davies himself:

"I know I can come back and be one of the best strikers in the world. I know with the improvement that I'm making, if I can continue that with this new feeling I have now, it's going to be tough to stop me."
Yeah, he's definitely a Terminator.

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"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

Good news indeed.

I think second place in our group this year is a reasonable goal. The only problem is if we come out flat, we may not advance; there are no freebies in this group. Algeria and Slovenia can play ball.

Under Capello, England looked strong in qualifying, so they should be a force, and difficult to beat. However, England has a historic way of underacheiving at The World Cup Tournament, so never say never.

I see it:

-England
-USA
-Slovenia
-Algeria

England and USA to advance.

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"I'll rap you with my cane; you pencil necked geek!!"

-Bowler, imitating Freddy Blassie, at the very first M & G.