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Former Boston College and US men's national team standout Charlie Davies will be a permanent member of the New England Revolution next season, according to an announcement by the MLS club on Thursday. The Manchester, New Hampshire native has signed with the Revs after his Danish club Randers FC decided to dissolve his contract.
"We're pleased that Charlie will be re-joining us and that we were able to find a way to make it work with MLS and Randers," New England general manager Mike Burns said in a statement. "Charlie came in last summer and showed us a lot of good things, and we're looking forward to seeing him integrated into the squad more in 2014."
The details of Davies' contract with the Revolution were not disclosed.
The 27-year old made four appearances for New England in 2013 while on loan from Randers. This is Davies' second full-time stint in MLS, having scored 11 goals with DC United in 2011.
Here's the reaction from The Bent Musket:
This is relatively good news for the Revs as they were looking pretty thin up top prior to this acquisition, although they still could stand to bolster their corps of attackers. Davies' lack of involvement in 2013 was a bit puzzling for Revs fans until it was revealed that coach Jay Heaps had his sights set on moving Davies out to the wing, a role which has taken the former U.S. international some time to adjust to. Not only that, but Davies came to New England in August, a time when tinkering with his lineup was far from Heaps' mind in the midst of a heated playoff push.
If Davies can find his footing as a wide attacker, and work hard at the defensive responsibilities that come with playing this position, then he could potentially be a pivotal contributor in the Revs' 2104 campaign.
Hopefully coming home and playing for the Revs on a more permanent basis will be the needed jolt to his career. The Revs open the 2014 season at BBVA Compass Field vs. Houston on March 8. The home opener is on March 22 at Gillette vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps.