FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After scoring seven goals in a 10-game span, New England Revolution striker Charlie Davies, much like the club, went on a bit of a drought.
On Saturday night the forward broke a seven-game scoreless streak with two strikes to key the Revolution to a 3-1 victory vs. 10-man Toronto FC, putting both Davies and his club back on the right track.
“He was really good,” said coach Jay Heaps. “I felt like Charlie was itching for one. I think tonight from the opening minute he was going to be aggressive and it showed.”
It was Davies' efforts that set up the first Revolution strike after he drew a foul on the run, setting his club up with a free kick from 35 yards out. Lee Nguyen then delivered over-the-top service to Kelyn Rowe, who one-timed a pass to Davies coming across the front of the net. It was Davies' eighth goal of the season.
“There was a great ball in, I saw it, my eyes opened up and I wanted to put it in the back of the net," said Davies. "Fortunately I was able to do that."
The second came off of another free kick, this one off the foot of Chris Tierney on the right side of the field, with Davies whacking home a bouncer in the six.
“I’d be lying if [I said] it wasn’t frustrating,” said Davies of going so long without a goal. “It’s always going to be in the back of your mind as a striker. You usually get hot and cold.”
All of Davies' efforts on this night were set up by his aggressive hold-up abilities early in the game, which Heaps feels is necessary for Davies to be complete on the offensive end.
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“That’s the part of the game where Charlie’s gotten so much better,” said Heaps. “He’s strong, he’s got a low base, so he can hold defenders off. I think defenders are really worried about him getting behind. The more he holds it up, defenders start to inch and then he’s able to use that ability to get behind.
"That’s where I think Charlie’s at his best, when he’s held up 10 balls but then he’s able to get behind for two or three.”
Davies credits his ability to stay focused, even when he wasn’t scoring, for allowing him to be ready when the opportunities presented themselves. That mentality also saw him pull off his fun celebrations, giving him the chance to bring out that familiar smile that seems to always put the Revs in great position for maximum points.
“Throughout the process I’ve been able to stay confident, I think that’s important as a striker,” said Davies. “Tonight, the guys really helped me. We played phenomenal tonight, we had most of the possession and they made my job easy tonight.”
