Eighteen months ago, Charlie Davies had the world at his feet. His performances in the Swedish Allsvenskan with Hammarby earned him a move to French side Sochaux, and two goals on his debut against reigning Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux made the 23-year-old American striker an instant favourite with the Les Lionceaux faithful.

But then – just as quickly as stardom had reached the New Hampshire native – it was snatched away from him in a cruel twist of fate. On October 13, 2009, Davies was a passenger in a serious car accident which left him with multiple injuries including a lacerated bladder and bleeding on the brain.

One of Davies’ fellow-passengers was killed in the crash, and Davies himself was fortunate to escape from the wreckage alive: the thought of returning to football would not have even crossed his mind in the immediate aftermath.

However, once given the all-clear by medical staff, he made it his mission to get back to full fitness in time for the World Cup. Davies had impressed at the previous summer’s Confederations Cup, scoring in the crucial 3-0 win over Egypt and being a general nuisance to opposition defences throughout the tournament, and his presence would surely have been an asset to Bob Bradley’s squad.

Unfortunately South Africa came just too soon for the man with four goals in 17 international appearances, but he did not let that disappointment get to him. He made the most of his second chance, realising his life and career were a blessing rather than cursing the loss of one year’s play.

And the hard work paid off, as he made his return to Sochaux’s matchday squad on December 19. Ironically the opponents that day were Bordeaux, and Davies will hope that is symbolic of his rebirth as a top-class striker.

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Now, with Brown Ideye and Marvin Martin impressing in a fluid attack and Sochaux looking unlikely to trouble either the European or relegation places, manager Francois Gillot has let Davies go out on loan to regain his match sharpness.

It looks as though DC United will be his destination, and the presence of US internationals old and new such as Josh Wolff, Dax McCarty and Santino Quaranta will make it easy for him to settle straight away.

He may not have played MLS football before (although 6 goals in 9 PDL games for Westchester suggest he would have had little trouble adapting), but those familiar faces should achieve the crucial aim of helping Davies enjoy his football.

Not that he will have ever questioned his ability, but any lingering doubts ought to be cast aside by a good start to his career in the capital. Reports suggest Davies has put pen to paper on a year-long loan deal today, giving him a near-full pre-season to get acclimatised to his surroundings before – ideally – taking the MLS by storm when the 2011 season begins in March.

He is clearly not short in confidence – his World Cup ambition is testament to that – but an apparent willingness to merely train for a few months when a first-team return to Sochaux was not far away shows a patience one could forgive Davies for not possessing after all that he has gone through.

While many in the past have failed to regain their passion for the game after setbacks far less serious, Charlie Davies is demonstrating that with enough commitment and willpower a professional sportsman can get over almost anything life throws at him. There is unlikely to be a single person not wishing him well when he finally returns to action.