Charlie Davies Loan Expires, Likely Leaving D.C. United

As assumed by all of us and confirmed by D.C. United General Manager Dave Kasper in a conversation with Steven Goff of the Washington Post, United will not be purchasing the contract of forward Charlie Davies from French club Sochaux for the $1.3 Million transfer fee. Davies' loan with United/MLS has expired, and he will be returning to France for training.

With Davies playing only 31% of the possible minutes in United's stretch of six must-win games at the conclusion of the 2011 season, it had become obvious to most of us that he would not be returning to United. There was still a chance though that his MLS career, and storybook return to prominence in the U.S. Soccer scene, was not done yet. There was still a chance that his rights would be traded to another MLS team, and that Sochaux would extend his loan into the next season.

That doesn't seem likely anymore though, as Davies' agent told Goff today that there are other leagues with suitors willing to purchase Davies' contract from Sochaux, marking an unfortunate end to the saga that captivated us for the early months of the 2011 season.

Davies leaving United after just one year always seemed like the likeliest scenario, but how do you feel now that its coming true?