Davies suffers broken bones in one-car accident

October 14, 9:33 AMSoccer ExaminerNicholas Richards

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Emerging US forward Charlie Davies suffered several broken bones in Tuesday morning's fatal car accident outside Washington, D.C. that left one person dead. Davies went through several hours of surgery at Washington Hospital Center Medstar Tuesday afternoon to repair a broken tibia and femur in his right leg, a fractured left elbow, and facial fractures. He also suffered a lacerated bladder in the accident.

The injuries now make Davies participation in the 2010 World Cup a real doubt.

"Injuries of this nature usually require a recovery period fo six to 12 months and extensive rehabilitation," said Dr. Dan Kalbac, a US team doctor, in a report on ESPN.com. "Due to Charlies fitness level, his prognosis for recovery and his ability to resume high-level competition is substantially improved."

The loss of Davies now leaves a void in the attack for the United States. Should Davies miss the World Cup - which begins June 11 in Johannesburg, less than eight months away and in the middle of the usual recovery time laid out by Dr. Kalbac - the US will be left with Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, and Conor Casey to fill the void up top. Altidore has proven to be a talent, and Casey scored two vital goals in the 3-2 win over Honduras October 10 that clinched American participation in South Africa next summer. No Davies could open the door for someone like Freddy Adu or Kenny Cooper to jump back into the squad. Either way, the US will have to replace a dynamic player who brings genuine speed and finishing ability to the US attack.