Real Salt Lake has announced that the Utah side acquired U.S. Men's Under-20 National Team defender and captain Kyle Davies via a special MLS Player Lottery. Davies, who just turned 20 years of age last weekend, will not join Real Salt Lake in time for this Saturday's contest at the New York Red Bulls, but is expected to report to his new club early next week.
Davies was named the captain of the U.S. U-20's by Head Coach Thomas Rongen in the build up to the 2009 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship contested last month in Trinidad & Tobago, and he would lead by example by serving as one of two U.S. players to go 90 minutes in all five contests during the tournament in helping the squad reach the final against Costa Rica. Davies nailed one of the penalty kicks in the semifinal round that clinched the USA's place at this fall's FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, his spot kick helping the U.S. earn a 4-3 win in PK's over Trinidad & Tobago after 120 scoreless minutes of regulation and overtime play. Davies is currently in his second cycle with the U.S. U-20s, but his bid to make the team's roster for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup fell short after suffering a broken leg.
"We had only a 5% chance to win the lottery, so we were fortunate to be able to add a really solid, young player in Davies," said RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey. "Kyle is a talent that fits our paradigm of bringing in American players who have cut their teeth overseas at a high level."
Davies joins the MLS ranks from English Coca-Cola Football Championship League side Southampton FC, a club he signed with as an 18-year-old. The Danville, Calif. native has suffered from a spell of injuries during his time in England, but not enough to keep from training stints with the club's first team and several appearances for the Saints' reserve team, including 11 starts in 12 contests (one goal) during the current 2008-09 campaign.
