The Philadelphia Union on Thursday announced that they had re-signed out-of-contract forward Charlie Davies.
Davies, 30, arrived in Philadelphia midway through the 2016 season in a trade with New England that saw the Union send the Revs General Allocation Money, Targeted Allocation Money and the Union’s natural First Round selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. The Union also received New England’s natural Third Round selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.
Davies made eight appearances for Philadelphia during the 2016 campaign, while recording 81 minutes. Davies, a New England native, earned his first assist for the Union during his homecoming in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Aug. 13 in a 4-0 victory over New England.
“We are thrilled to have Charlie back for the 2017 season,” Union sporting director Earnie Stewart said in a statement provided by the team. “It will be great to have Charlie from the start with a full preseason around our club and we’re looking forward to what he can bring to our team for an entire season.”
Prior to his arrival in Philadelphia, Davies spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Revs, where he netted 14 goals in 64 league appearances. He also spent the 2011 season on loan with D.C. United from French club Sochaux, when he scored 11 goals in 26 regular-season appearances.
Davies has had to overcome significant adversity in his career. In October 2009, as he was just making his name with the US national team, he suffered serious injuries in a car accident while on international duty that kept him off a game-day roster for over a year. In July 2016, Davies announced that he had suffered from liposarcoma, a type of cancer, in the spring, and that it was now in a remission.
