DaMarcus Beasley is a retired professional soccer player. He was born on May 24, 1982 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He played soccer in high school and also participated in the 1999 under 17 soccer World Cup held in New Zealand. His outstanding performance won him the prestigious silver ball award for being the second highest scoring player in the tournament. He joined a private athletic training institute called the IMG Academy, which was based in Florida. He also played in the under 20 team at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Argentina. In March 1999, he joined the Major Soccer League (MLS), having been signed by the team Los Angeles Galaxy. However, he was soon transferred to the Chicago Fire. His performance with them was top notch, and he was named to the Best XI team in 2003. He spent more than four seasons with them, scoring six goals in 13 Champions’ League games which gained him much praise and acclaim.
In July 2004, he was transferred to a Dutch team called PSV Eindhoven. He signed a 4 year contract worth $2.5 million. In his first season with PSV, he helped them win the league title. In another match, he scored a last minute goal to tie a match against a rival team which PSV then won on penalty shootouts. DaMarcus Beasley also became the first American to play in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League, and scored 4 goals in 12 games. In August 2006, he joined an English soccer team called Manchester City F.C., to whom he was transferred on a loan. He helped his team to win against West Ham United by scoring a goal in the 83rd minute of play. In 2005, he was a finalist for “U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year” award.
In June 2007, he moved to a Scottish club called Rangers F.C. for a lucrative deal worth £700,000, being only the second American to play for them. He helped his team win an important match in the Champions’ League group stage for which he was awarded the Man of the Match trophy. However, he was injured shortly after in an on field collision with the goalkeeper. During one of
