Former Chicago Fire and U.S. Men's National Team defender DaMarcus Beasley announced on Monday his intentions to retire from professional soccer following the 2019 MLS season.
Beasley, 37, began his professional career with the Chicago Fire in 2000 after being acquired from the LA Galaxy in exchange for first round picks in the 2000 and 2001 MLS SuperDrafts. He'd make 134 appearances across all competitions for the Men In Red from 2000-2004, a span that included Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles in 2000 and 2003 as well as the 2003 Supporters' Shield. He was selected to the MLS Best XI in 2003.
Beasley was transferred to PSV Eindhoven of the Dutch Eredivisie in July of 2004, which began a European journey that included stints with Manchester City (2006-2007), Rangers (2007–2010) and Hannover 96 (2010–2011). Beasley returned to North America to suit up for Puebla of Liga MX from 2011-2014, before making the move back to MLS to play for the Houston Dynamo.
At the international level, Beasley earned 126 caps with the U.S. Men's National Team. He helped the U.S. lift the Concacaf Gold Cup on four occasions (2002, 2005, 2007, 2013), and became the only U.S. player to appear in four separate World Cup tournaments (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) after appearing in the team's opening match against Ghana in Brazil in 2014.
The Fire will visit Houston on Saturday, Aug. 3 for a final meeting against Beasley ahead of his retirement.
