Soccer has yet to become a truly popular game in the Unted States. But surprisingly one of soccer's rising stars is an American - Charlie Davies. He is the striker for the U.S. national team, which has secured a place to play in the upcoming World Cup to take place in South Africa in June 2010.

Some have described Davies as the world's best kept secret in soccer.

The U.S. team got its place n the World Cup tournament by defeating Honduras 3-2 in a qualifying match. Davies played in that match. That was only last week Saturday (October 10,2009). And he rightly had expectations to go into the World Cup as part of the U.S. team.

But things have turned completely upside down: on 13 October Davies got seriously injured in a car crash while travelling on the George Washington Parkway. The other passenger, a young woman of 22, Ashley Roberta was killed.

Davies has suffered injuries to his face, left elbow, right leg and bladder, and is receiving treatment at the Washington Hospital Center. The prognosis is recovery in six to twelve months and extensive rehabilitation.

It thus seems that his hopes of playing in the World Cup are dashed.

Aged 23, Davies has been playing soccer since high school, and was rising star while he was at Boston College. He inherited his love for soccer from his father, who is from Gambia and who encouraged the young Davies to play.

After three years at college, he decided to turn professional without finishing his degree.

He first signed up with a Swedish club. He played exceptionally well in 2008, scoring fourteen goals in twenty-seven games. In July 2009, after spending time in suspension due to an elbowing incident, he signed up with a first division (or as known in France, Ligue 1) French club - FC Sochaux-Montbéliard.

He has played for the senior U.S. national team since June 2007, and up to August 2009 he has secured four goals for the team, against the following national teams:

• Trinidad and Tobago, in a World Cup qualifier - October 2008
• Egypt, in the 2009 Confederations Cup - June 2009
• Grenada, in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup - July 2009
• Mexico, in a World Cup qualifier - August 2009

At the time of the accident, he was in Washington D.C. to play in a World Cup qualifier against Cost Rica.