ORLANDO, Fla. — It lasted only 15 minutes, but the playing return of Charlie Davies was enough to shine the brightest of lights on the New England Revolution, despite an ugly 3-1 defeat at Orlando City on Sunday night.
Fans were stunned to learn earlier of Davies’ successful battle with liposarcoma, which had more or less secretly kept him sidelined since April. His 75th-minute substitution, then, proved a moment for real celebration on the visitors’ sideline.
“Obviously I was nervous and a bit anxious at first,” the 30-year-old striker admitted. “But once you get in there and make a couple of runs, it felt great to be back. To be honest, it was very emotional. Just to get out there, I felt like I had to face another hurdle in my life and I think I managed to get past that and now it’s about helping this team get points and wins."
Revs head coach Jay Heaps understandably left the game frustrated by his team’s poor second-half showing. New England conceded the equalizer to Cyle Larin within 50 seconds of the re-start, and gave up two further goals to Kevin Molino as City dominated the second period. But he also drew energy from Davies’ return.
“Obviously I am disappointed, but there are things in life that are bigger than the game of soccer,” Heaps said. “For everyone in the Revs, seeing a moment like that and having known about it for a while, and to see how positive Charlie’s response has been, it is very uplifting.
“You just want to stop and say, ‘This is amazing,’ because it is his story, and the fact that they even found the cancer and stopped it and he’s back on the field right now, I think it is close to a miracle.”
Revs forward Kei Kamara, who scored his side’s only goal on the night, also said he was delighted to take the field with Davies once again.
“Charlie is a guy who’s been through a lot,” Kamara said. “Coming from Sierra Leone myself, and coming through a civil war, I think I’ve been through a lot, but this guy has done it all, and it’s a joy to have him on the field and in the locker room. The positivity he brings to this team is amazing.”
Davies revealed he had also spoken with former teammate Kevin Alston – now playing for Orlando – about Alston’s own battle with leukemia in 2013, and they shared a special moment before the game.
“Kevin is a very good friend of mine and we’ve both had our battles,” Davies said. “I think it’s great that we can have this bond, and hopefully continue to inspire and uplift people that maybe are going through the same situation.
“Hope is the most important thing for people going through adversity,” he continued, “so hopefully I can give them a lift with what I’m doing.”
