FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – A quick scan of Charlie Davies’ 2015 stats reveals some significant numbers.
His 10 goals led the New England Revolution and marked his best single-season output since he scored 11 times for D.C. United in 2011 (a figure aided by four successful penalty kicks). His four assists matched the single-season career-high he’d established with the Revolution just last season.
But the most important number for Davies wasn’t 10, and it wasn’t four. It was 33.
That’s how many regular-season appearances Davies made in 2015. He missed just one game – the season opener in Seattle – and he was actually available on the bench for that match, only just unable to feature because of a lingering calf injury. From there, he was a constant, starting 25 of the next 33 contests while appearing off the bench in the other eight.
It was a dramatic shift from 2014, when Davies struggled to stay healthy through the first half of the campaign before finally making his mark down the stretch run and into the postseason.
“It’s really been great to play a whole season injury-free and feel healthy and still feel like I’m getting better,” said Davies. “I’m very optimistic about next season and the coming seasons, just because I really feel like I’m coming into my prime. I think it’s going to be my time to shine.”
For years, ever since the 2009 automobile accident which so nearly derailed his career, Davies chased an undefined “normal.” Even as he returned to the field in 2011, Davies still felt himself working at a disadvantage, struggling to maintain fitness and always somewhere short of top gear.
Not anymore.
“I’ve always had to focus on trying to play catchup,” said Davies, who has said he finally started to feel “normal” during last year’s run to MLS Cup. “This is really the first offseason I’ll have where I can kind of just look to get better and not have to worry about my body physically.”
It took almost six years, but Davies has finally reached a place where he feels comfortable with the condition of his body and its ability to deal with the daily stresses of being a professional athlete. Having reached that level, he planned to take a week off from training following the conclusion of the season, something he hasn’t done in the past.
But just one week. This isn’t the time for complacency.
“I’m going to work as hard as I can this offseason and try to come out with a bang next year,” Davies said. “I’m still going to have to work on my body just to get better and faster and stronger and quicker.
“Next year I really want to come in even better, and really make my mark next season. In order to do that, the hard work has to start.”
That inner drive, that constant thirst for improvement is what carried Davies back from the brink, and it’s what will continue to motivate him moving forward. A regular place in the Revolution’s starting lineup and a 2015 Golden Boot award are great achievements, but Davies wants more, and he always will.
He wants more for himself, and he wants more for his hometown team.
“All I know is I’m excited (about next season),” Davies said. “Whatever happens, I’ll be an even better player. Obviously I’ve come a long way and I don’t take anything for granted. I know playing my first full season healthy as a starter felt great, and I can’t wait to play my second season as a starter.
“These are the crucial years for me, these next couple years when I’ll be at my best. When you’re at your best, things tend to be flowing and going the way you want. I just have to continue to keep working hard and understand that it’s show-time for me. I’ve got to step up and really take a big responsibility for helping this team bring an MLS Cup to New England.”
