Houston Dynamo defender DaMarcus Beasley announced today via social media that he will retire following the 2019 season.
Beasley, who will turn 37 this week, is currently in his 20th year playing professional soccer. He has been with the Dynamo since 2014, and captained the team to its first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship in 2018.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana native signed his first professional contract with Major League Soccer in 1999 at the age of 16, eventually landing with the Chicago Fire as a speedy left winger. He was a three-time MLS All-Star in Chicago, and was named to the 2003 MLS Best XI before transferring to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven in 2004.
Beasley enjoyed incredible success in Europe, starring in the UEFA Champions League and winning trophies during stints with PSV, Manchester City, Rangers FC, and Hannover 96. He then moved to Puebla in Liga MX in 2012 as he transitioned to left back before his move to Houston in the summer of 2014.
On the international stage, Beasley is the first American male to appear in four FIFA World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014). He registered 126 international caps (17 goals, 13 assists) while appearing in at least one game for the USMNT in 15 consecutive years (2001–15). He made his first appearance for the senior national team at age 18 in 2001, and – although he briefly retired from international play at the end of 2014 – made his final appearance for the U.S. in July 2017 in a World Cup qualifier against Mexico, making him also the first U.S. man to appear in five World Cup qualification cycles.
Beasley started all four the Dynamo’s matches this year in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League, scoring the game-winning goal in Guatemala against CD Guastatoya. He suffered an injury in the second leg against Tigres UANL on March 12 and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on March 20. He returned for his first MLS appearance of the season against the Portland Timbers on May 15, starting and playing the full 90 minutes.
