Background and career
DaMarcus Lamont Beasley (; born May 24, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. A left-footed player, Beasley played both as a left winger and left-wing back throughout his career. He retired from soccer after the 2019 MLS Season. On November 26, 2022, National Soccer Hall of Fame announced that he, along with fellow U.S. Men's national teammate Landon Donovan, was selected for induction. He was inducted on May 6, 2023. After starring at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship, Beasley emerged as a star with the Chicago Fire before making a move to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in 2004. He later spent time in the Premier League with Manchester City, in the Scottish Premier League for Rangers and in the Bundesliga for Hannover 96. He finished his career with spells with Puebla and Houston Dynamo. Beasley is the only U.S. man to play in four FIFA World Cups, his first in 2002 and his latest in 2014, earning 126 caps during his 16-year international career.
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Beasley played one year of basketball and two years of soccer at South Side High School. Beasley left South Side after his sophomore year to enroll in the U.S. Soccer Residency Program located at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida where he finished high school. Beasley starred in the 1999 Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand, winning the Silver Ball as the tournament's second best player, behind teammate Landon Donovan.
Beasley signed with MLS on March 16, 1999, and was allocated to the LA Galaxy. However, before making any appearances with LA, he was traded in February 2000 to the Chicago Fire in exchange for first-round picks in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft and 2001 MLS SuperDraft. He would excel with Chicago, scoring 14 goals and recording 20 assists over 4.5 seasons while being named to the league Best XI in 2003. He was close to signing for Southampton FC in 2004, but MLS rejected the offer much to Beasley's displeasure. His stay with the Fire ended on July 19, 2004, when Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven agreed on a transfer fee with MLS worth $2.5 million. He signed a four-year contract.
PSV manager Guus Hiddink brought Beasley in as the successor to Arjen Robben (who went to Chelsea), and because of that, Beasley was granted the number 11 jersey. In his first season in the Eredivisie, Beasley played 29 games, scored 6 goals in 34 domestic games of the Dutch season and helped PSV win their 18th league title. On May 28, 2005, PSV advanced to the final of the 2004–05 KNVB Cup by defeating Feyenoord in a penalty shootout after Beasley's goal in the final minute of regulation tied the match. In addition to making an impact on the domestic level, Beasley became the first American to play in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, against Milan. In the first leg, PSV lost 2–0 at the San Siro, while in the second leg, PSV won 3–1 at Philips Stadion, though they were eliminated based on the away goals rule. Despite the loss, Beasley was an important player, leading his team with 4 goals in 12 Champions League matches. DaMarcus was fined €1,500 ($1,852) for driving under the influence of alcohol as a result of an incident on January 16, 2006. His Dutch driving privileges were suspended for the next three months, followed by a three-month probationary period.
After a disappointing individual season for Beasley in which PSV won their 19th championship, on August 31, 2006, he joined English Premier League side Manchester City on a season-long loan fulfilling his ambition to play in England. However, his first few weeks with City were troubled by injury, limiting his ability to play. On December 30, Beasley scored his first goal for City, a match-winner in the 83rd minute against West Ham United. He went on to score three times more before returning to PSV after making 22 appearances in total.
Scottish Premier League club Rangers signed Beasley for £700,000 in June 2007. He became the second American to play for the Rangers' first team, after Claudio Reyna. On August 4, 2007, Beasley made his Rangers debut, playing a full 90 minutes in a 3–0 win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Beasley scored his first goal for the club against FK Zeta in a Champions League qualifier on August 7, 2007, becoming the first American to score for two clubs in the competition. During the match, Beasley was subjected to racial taunting by Zeta fans, along with fellow black teammate, Jean-Claude Darcheville. He urged UEFA and FIFA to do something about the chants, which prompted an investigation intended to crack down on the crowds at soccer matches. Beasley scored his first Scottish Premier League goal in Rangers' 2–1 win over Kilmarnock on August 25, 2007.
