by Jamie Trecker

Post-game Wednesday night, Bob Bradley admitted as much, telling the press that "Obviously, we've had two days of tough news."

Charlie Davies was seriously injured in an early morning car crash Tuesday morning in which a woman was killed when the SUV he was riding in hit a guardrail and split in half. Davies underwent lengthy surgery to repair a broken leg, a lacerated bladder, facial and elbow fractures.

His club's president Alexandre Lacombe of Sochaux told France Football Wednesday that Davies had been "close to death" and that he would be confined to bed for "a month and a half."

"It's a tough time. I made sure that Charlie and his family knew that every player on our team, every coach, everybody involved with U.S. Soccer is thinking about him and we have the faith that he's going to be back with us pretty fast," said Bradley.

Davies had been one of the bright spots for an unpredictable team this year. A speedy striker, he had scored four times in his 17 appearances with the national team and solidified himself as an automatic starter. A constant threat, Davies combined well with teammates Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore, harrying defenders and 'keepers alike.

His speed was remarkable, and his nose for goal was considered among the best ever produced in the American game.

Onyewu has matured into one of the USA's best central defenders, and his loss late in the game Wednesday night was a big blow. The big center back went down in a non-contact situation when his knee buckled underneath him. His loss leaves a gaping hole.

He is expected to be out at least three months, if not longer. He will undergo go surgery immediately.

"Gooch has been such an important part of our team," said Bradley. "That's normally three to four months, he's young, he's healthy, [and] our doctors are good. He's someone that we're sure is going to get back and ready to go. But, nonetheless, it's another setback for us."

There are some obvious questions. Let's address them.

What's the recovery time?

Let's talk Onyewu first. His injury has been diagnosed as a torn left patella tendon in his knee. That's 3-4 months out off the bat.

In real-world terms, Onyewu will miss almost all of AC Milan's season, and it is unlikely the club will invest the resources and time to integrate him back into the mix when he is fully healed. In fact, AC Milan — as the G-14 clubs are wont to do — is pressing U.S. Soccer for compensation, with CEO Adriano Galliani making the case that his club shouldn't have to pay a player who will be out for half the year.

Even if Onyewu is back to full fitness by next spring — which, again, is a best hope at this point — the chances of him getting real playing time with Milan now shrink to almost nothing. He was a fringe presence there to begin with, and had been treated more as a future project than as the guy who could step in right away.

Onyweu's best hope is that he recovers ahead of schedule and gets a loan in the January transfer window. If not, the Americans might be looking at having him join the team in June without full game sharpness.

A smart team will be looking for cover, but recent history suggests that the United States is not blessed with a myriad of choices. Friendly games between now and April must focus on experimenting with central pairings — waiting for Onyewu to return in perfect form is risky.

Davies isn't going to come back for the World Cup. Right now, the focus on him has to be just getting him back upright. At this point, it is far too early to even think about his career.

Who can step into the back?

The obvious replacement in the back is Jay DeMerit, currently out with an eye injury. But that is only part of the equation.

The Americans looked at their best in the Confederations Cup when DeMerit and Oneywu played together and Carlos Bocanegra was out wide left. Forcing Bocanegra into the middle to partner DeMerit offers one solution, but creates another problem.

The wingbacks have long been an American worry. Jonathan Spector is probably the best of a bunch that includes Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo and Heath Pearce, but there is no mistaking the fact that the U.S. defense needs to find some wide cover, and quickly.

One option is Jose Francisco Torres. He can play in the back, but putting him there would deprive the USA of his obvious playmaking talents. Frankly, Torres needs to be considered as a straight swap for Michael Bradley, who has been erratic.

Then there's Edgar Castillo, who received his papers in September, and needs to get a game or two. Another is Frank Simek, who has been plugging along for Sheffield Wednesday and is a natural leader. A wild card might be Michael Orozco, who looked very good with U-23s but is best remembered by fans as the guy who got ejected in the Olympic games.

Maurice Edu will return eventually from injury, and Cory Gibbs, Danny Califf. and Patrick Ianni could all get some playing time. Marvell Wynne, sadly, seems to be a lost cause.

One possible solution is to play a three-man triangle in the central defense with two wide backs. That's a 5-3-1-1 which might mask some of the obvious deficiencies that all of the possible replacements possess.

What about up top?

Here, the options really thin out.

Jozy Altidore could be good, but he is both young and lacking in match fitness. Assuming that nothing changes for him at Hull, he could enter the World Cup as the Americans' No. 1 option and yet struggle to be fully sharp.

Conor Casey is not fast enough to run off the ball. Kenny Cooper is big, strong, and has technical gifts, but also lacks the speed to run off Altidore. Clint Dempsey obviously can run up top, but the USA needs someone in midfield, even if they rarely play the ball through it.

If Freddy Adu can finally impress at the club level, he might just be the logical option to step in for Davies. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

The natural answer is Freddy Adu. The problems with that choice are apparent. Adu is fit, fast, and unquestionably gifted. He also hasn't played nearly enough, and four years of being bounced from team to team and coach to coach have left him well behind in terms of preparation. A strong season at Belenenses would make him an automatic No. 2, but knowing Adu's track record, that's not likely to happen.

There is no one else right now. The U-20s have nothing to offer, judging on their wretched performance at the 2009 World Cup being completed this weekend in Egypt. The U-23s are well known from their belly-flop in the Olympics.

And the U-17s are way too callow.

If you're Bob Bradley, this morning presented one of those glass half-full moments. On the one hand, your team defied some of the critics and reached the Confederations Cup final. The same players who wobbled on the road in CONCACAF qualifying got their act together over the second half of the hexagonal and played with both heart and courage.

Yet on the other, your team looks pretty fragile, and good teams have picked it apart. You cannot afford to lose key players, because you don't have many backups.

Every coach knows that it is unlikely he will ever be able to pick his absolute best eleven — the inevitable injuries and loss of form nearly always prevent that.

But losing players of Davies and Onyewu's caliber in the space of 48 hours is a real body blow that will require both luck and good planning to overcome.

Jamie Trecker's newest book, "Love and Blood: At the World Cup with the Footballers, Fans and Freaks" is out now from Harcourt. Jamie is assisted by Jerry and Janice Trecker. Contact Jamie at jamie.trecker@gmail.com and visit his blog and website at www.jamietrecker.com.

The views and opinions expressed by Jamie Trecker do not necessarily reflect those of the Fox Soccer Channel or FoxSoccer.com.