After suffering a lacerated bladder, fractured right tibia and fibula and a fractured elbow, United States men’s national soccer team forward Charlie Davies is back.

On October 13, 2009, Davies was a passenger in an SUV that struck a side railing at 3:15 a.m. in Washington D.C. The accident also tore the vehicle in half and killed another female passenger.

Davies burst on to the U.S. Soccer scene just a few months prior to the accident at the Confederations Cup, a tournament with top soccer teams from around the world.

Davies, 23, appeared alongside fellow up and coming U.S. star Jozy Altidore atop the U.S. lineup and helped the squad overachieve to a second-place finish.

After losing the first two games of the tournament to Italy and Brazil by an aggregate 6-1, Davies and the rest of the U.S. team was faced with a tough situation: beat Egypt 3-0 while also getting some help from Brazil or go home.

The team did just that.

After 20 scoreless minutes of play, Davies’ hustle and a bit of luck got the Americans on the scoreboard and set the tone for the rest of the game.

That goal gave the team a bit of hope, and the thought that they could somehow pull this off, which they did. Davies and the team followed up the big win over Egypt by upsetting Spain, 2-0, the world’s No. 1 European champion.

Davies’ ability to use his speed and complement the taller and more athletic Altidore beside him provide team USA with a dynamic duo capable of defeating anyone, no matter the odds.

The summer of 2009 provided great hope for American soccer fans, but the accident seemed to overshadow all of it.

Without Davies, the second striker role at the fore of the U.S. lineup is anything but deep.

Apart from MLS and international veteran Brian Ching, the list of those in the running is short, to say the least. MLS strikers Conor Casey and Robbie Findley have both seen team USA action since Davies’ accident and have looked overwhelmingly unconvincing.

The lack of depth is worrying, especially considering the World Cup is just 42 days away, but there is finally some good news for Davies and American soccer fans alike.

After rehabbing almost constantly since he lived through a crash that probably should have killed him, Davies is back and practicing with his club FC Sochaux in France.

This is a huge step for Davies, who hasn’t participated in full training, as he did Monday, in more than six months.

But since there is around two weeks remaining in the French league season, Davies will not see any game time with Sochaux. The best chance to see the speedy striker on the pitch is in the pre-World Cup friendlies with team USA in late May and early June.

Davies has two weeks to squeak into a 30-man shortlist created by U.S. head coach Bob Bradley.

These 30 will go to a training camp at Princeton University, which will begin May 17.

The deadline for Bradley to name the final 23-man squad that will travel to South Africa is June 1. The odds are high that Davies will make the 30-man list, especially now that he is back in full training.

The 23-man squad is another story. While the story would make for a perfect after-school special, it is hard to say if Davies will be ready by June.

After the success of last summer, hopes are high for team USA. It is hard to imagine those hopes being fulfilled without a healthy Davies in the lineup.