CHICAGO (Nov. 12, 2019) – Having earned more than 100 caps and represented the U.S. Men’s National Team at four different FIFA World Cups, the U.S. Soccer Federation will celebrate the contributions of USMNT legend DaMarcus Beasley in a pre-game ceremony ahead of the USA-Canada Concacaf Nations League clash on Friday, Nov. 15 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
The ceremony is part of a recently implemented initiative to acknowledge outstanding achievement of any senior Men’s and Women’s National Team players who earned at least 100 caps and appeared on the roster of at least two World Championships – either World Cups or Olympic Games. Retiring USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard first received the recognition prior to USA-Mexico on Sept. 6 in East Rutherford, N.J.
In a career defined by longevity, Beasley first made his mark on the international scene when he won the Silver Ball during the USA’s fourth-place finish at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup in New Zealand. The crafty attacker turned left back would go on to make history as the only USMNT player to appear in four different FIFA World Cups, representing the United States at the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 editions. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native is also the only USMNT player to take part in qualifiers for five different FIFA World Cups, and one of only two USMNT players to win the Concacaf Gold Cup on four occasions, taking the tournament’s Golden Boot in 2005 and captaining the side to the 2013 title.
Beasley left the international game sitting in the USMNT’s Top 10 in appearances (126; 7th overall), goals (17; 10th overall) and assists (13; 10th overall), while his 11 caps in FIFA World Cup matches leave him tied for second with Cobi Jones and Earnie Stewart, just one appearance behind Landon Donovan.
Beasley matched his strong international career with an impressive club resume. One of the most well-traveled USMNT players ever, he played professionally in six different countries – the USA (Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo), Netherlands (PSV Eindhoven), England (Manchester City), Scotland (Rangers), Germany (Hannover 96) and Mexico (Puebla).
Beasley became the first American to appear in the UEFA Champions League Semifinals when he lined up for PSV Eindhoven against AC Milan in 2004, and would go on to win 13 pieces of hardware during his club career, including two league titles each with PSV (2004-05, 2005-06) and Rangers (2008-09, 2009-10). On the domestic front, Beasley is a three-time winner of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, winning with Chicago in 2000 and 2003, and captaining Houston to the title in 2018.
Beasley joins fellow 2019 retiree Tim Howard is one of only two USMNT players all-time to earn at least one appearance in 16 different calendar years.