FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Breathe a sigh of relief, everybody. Charlie Davies is just fine.
New England Revolution fans feared the worst when Davies sat down on the Gillette Stadium field in the 34th minute of Saturday afternoon’s home opener. There had been no contact. Davies simply went down, shook his head in frustration, and walked off to be replaced by Juan Agudelo.
But in speaking with the media after the game, Davies allayed those fears when he revealed that the injury was simply a minor left hamstring strain. After feeling the muscle tighten up, Davies tried to continue – and did for a time – but eventually convinced himself that coming off was the smartest move.
“The veteran came out of me and made me come off,” said Davies, who’ll turn 30 in a few months. “I felt like, when I did it, I wanted to give it one more chance to get a scoring opportunity. It came, but it didn’t happen for me so I took myself off.
“I still have strength in my hamstring. I’m able to walk without pain. It’s all positive signs and I know I’ll be back on the field sooner rather than later.”
Davies didn’t rule out suiting up for Sunday’s trip to Talen Energy Stadium and a meeting with the Philadelphia Union, but he estimated that worst case scenario would see him miss just one game.
Head coach Jay Heaps also said on Tuesday that the Revs are “hopeful” Davies will be available this weekend, but added that precaution is critical with this type of injury at this point in the season. Pushing a hamstring too hard, too fast can turn a one-week absence into a month’s absence, and that is precisely the type of scenario the Revs are trying to avoid in Davies’ recovery.
“He’s getting worked on and we’re hopeful for Sunday’s game, but at the same time, we want to be mindful of the entire year,” Heaps said. “We need to handle Charlie with the right amount of precaution now, so it doesn’t linger and isn’t something that hangs on for a couple weeks.”
If Davies is unavailable this weekend Heaps has options at the forward position, as both Agudelo and Teal Bunbury can play up top or out on the wing. In fact, both players featured at both positions at various points in Saturday’s home opener.
Whatever the scenario, Davies is hopeful he’ll be back in the mix soon enough.
“I guess if there’s any part of your hamstring to strain, I strained the right part,” Davies said. “I’m looking forward to getting back on the field and helping this team win some games.”
