Former USMNT striker Charlie Davies retires

Former United States men’s national team striker Charlie Davies has officially announced his retirement from professional soccer. The 31-year-old broke the news Friday morning via a video released on his Twitter account. Watch his farewell words to his playing career here:

Davies says within his announcement that he’ll be getting involved with American soccer in an off-the-field capacity that will be revealed at a later date.

His career ends in almost the exact opposite way it began. The dynamic striker burst onto the scene in Sweden with Hammarby where he scored highlight reel goals that earned him a transfer to Sochaux in Ligue 1 and multiple call-ups to the USMNT.

His blazing pace, off-the-ball movement and finishing instantly made him one of the most promising strikers the USMNT had seen in quite some time. Unfortunately, after only 17 caps at the international level, tragedy struck as Davies was involved in a car wreck in 2009 that killed one person and left him critically injured.

Davies defied the odds to return to soccer a couple of years later but was never able to regain the dynamism that made him such a talented player. While he was lucky to escape the wreck with his life and even the ability to play soccer, the fact that we never got to witness his best at a World Cup is a shame.

Good luck to Charlie and his family in his post-playing career.