Loss of Davies just starting to impact Team USA

It took just a glance around the lower bowl of RFK Stadium, turned temporarily into a sea of white placards bearing the number "9," to see how much U.S. Soccer misses Charlie Davies.

Davies, the national team striker who was severely injured in a car crash early Tuesday morning, received a series of touching get-well messages from teammates and the Washington, D.C., crowd Wednesday night.

Captain Carlos Bocanegra dedicated the team's dramatic last-ditch 2-2 draw against Costa Rica to Davies, who is almost certain to miss the World Cup after being ruled out for between six to 12 months.

But as thoughts turn to South Africa next summer following an intriguing and tumultuous qualifying campaign, how much will Davies' presence be missed on the field?

While it is hard to read too much into what was effectively a meaningless game for the U.S. on Wednesday, with qualification having already been wrapped up four days earlier, the performance gave some kind of a glimpse into life without the young Sochaux front-man.

Davies is the only player in the squad who possesses a genuinely electrifying pace and that is a major reason why he has become such an important cog in coach Bob Bradley's machine.

Without him, the tempo of the U.S. attack becomes more languid - and more aerial - with the taller and slower Jozy Altidore stepping in against Costa Rica.