Ives has an update on the recovery progress of US National Team forward Charlie Davies, and it appears to be fantastic news; not only is Charlie's rehab going as planned, he's exceeding expectations.


Don't get me wrong, this is excellent news for Davies and his family, and as a huge fan of Charlie's, I wish him all the best; but I'm slightly concerned that updates like these could artificially raise expectations and give US fans a misguided belief that Davies could return in time to contribute to the National Team's World Cup efforts next year in South Africa.


Even if there is a remote chance that Davies could be playing soccer again by June, the best mindset, the correct mindset, for fans is to think of Charlie's progress only as interesting from a compassionate human standpoint rather than a soccer one. I'm not going to rule our a miraculous recovery that makes Charlie a possible inclusion in the World Cup team, as I'm not a doctor, and am loathe to underestimate Davies' resolve; but let's not get ahead of ourselves by putting any of our hope into a player who's abilities on the pitch would at the very least rusty should he manage to shock us all by returning next summer.


I'm sure I'm jumping the gun on this, since I haven't actually seen anyone overstating this news or voicing their hope that Davies will be back for South Africa. Most fans are capable of contextualizing the news, setting Davies the player aside for the time being; but I'm sure there's at least a few out there that might be rolling the idea around in the back of their heads, imagining the Americans opening up the tournament with the same pair of strikers we saw at the Confederations Cup this past June.


I'm certain Bob Bradley isn't working under the belief that Davies can be back, so neither will I.


Just one more note before I close this unnecessary post (which I may have written just as much to remind myself of reality); neither Davies nor Onyewu's absence guarantee's an American flame out, no matter how important each player is to the squad. If you've given up on the team because of a few injuries, you're just as bad as those that blindly overrate them.


I know I'm way off with this little rant, so feel free to tell me so in the comments.