Thanks to @MikeyDamage on Twitter, I was tipped off to an interview Charlie Davies did on French radio; the important parts are in English (obviously Charlie answers in English, and the questions are translated for him), and it's definitely worth a listen.
Charlie expresses frustration with Sochaux over his treatment there; he's clearly upset about Sochaux having a hand in his exclusion from the US preliminary roster. Most telling is Charlie's revelation that the president of the club has had no contact with him since the accident; remember, this is the same man who created a firestorm when he gave an interview stating that Davies would not step on the field in a Ligue 1 match this season. Back when Charlie was still pushing for a shot at the World Cup, that was a very big deal.
Davies is clearly crushed by the end of his dream. But the likelihood is that this will push him harder to make a full return for both Sochaux (where he'll be no matter his disappointment) and the US National Team.
The highlight moment of the interview:
"I'm very hurt, I'm very sad, but I'm very angry, because I feel FC Sochaux has denied me a chance at playing in the World Cup."
This will only add fuel to the fire of people questioning the decision to leave Charlie out. Focus has been on Bob Bradley, who ultimately made the decision; but Bradley and US Soccer colored their choice as being influenced heavily by Sochaux refusal to medically clear Davis. The bottom line is that US Soccer chose not to challenge the French club on releasing Davies. While it will appear clear that they should have, perhaps on simple principle, the question remains if the fight over a player whose comeback from serious injury might have been too much to ask was ultimately worth it.
Despite his anger with the club and the situation, Davies said he's not going anywhere, that he "owes something to his teammates" and has "unfinished business" in France.
Bob called Davies the on Monday night, explaining the situation. I imagine it was an extremely difficult call for Bradley to make.
We now also know that Charlie doesn't plan on being in South Africa to cheer on his teammates. Hard to blame him.
