Like most American soccer fans, I'm rooting for Charlie Davies. I want him to return to his former glory. I'd love for him to start banging away goals and showcasing the speed for which he became known.
Video: Charlie Davies Draws Phantom Penalty
But after watching him draw a penalty in the waning moments of Saturday's tie with Real Salt Lake, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. From the look of it, he wasn't even touched ... like at all. The replays I'm seeing make it look like a pretty obvious dive. Thanks to this .gif (supplied by @LikkitP), we can see just how obvious it was.
I've attached a still after the jump that shows Davies falling before being touched, but there are no angles that show anything different: Defender Chris Wingert does not appear to touch Davies at all.
I don’t want to get all sanctimonious up in here, but come on Charlie, you’re better than this. You’ve made some huge strides toward getting back to the point where you are at least in the conversation for national team duty, but no one wants to see this. You’re not getting back to the biggest stage by proving you can draw penalties, although you seem to have developed quite a knack for it. You’re going to get there by blowing past defenders and finishing chances, something you’ve already shown an ability to do.
It’s plays like this that just call for official review of diving incidents, something that is almost as important as handing out retroactive cards for dangerous challenges.
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