Houston Dynamo re-sign captain DaMarcus Beasley

The Houston Dynamo have re-signed defender DaMarcus Beasley, the club announced today.

Beasley captained the Dynamo to the club’s third domestic championship in September when the team captured the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The trophy was the 17th for club and country in his legendary career.

The defender has played in 112 MLS regular-season games, starting in 110, since joining the Dynamo on July 23, 2014. Last season, he started in all 26 appearances, scoring one goal and recording two assists during the regular season. His performance earned him club Defender of the Year honors. During the course of the season, he passed a trio of service milestones with the club as he became the longest-tenured left back in club history, started his 100th league game for the club and saw his tenure with Houston surpass that of any other club in his career.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that DaMarcus will be returning to the Houston Dynamo for the 2019 season,” said Dynamo Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan. “He is a key leader in our team, and a true professional in every sense of the word. His winning mentality and quality as a player will be important for our group as we prepare for the 2019 season.”

The Fort Wayne, Indiana native scored his 17th career goal when he smashed home a shot at Seattle on October 9. Although he has primarily lined up at left back, he has scored in three of his four full seasons with Houston. He added two assists last year, helping to create goals in back-to-back games at Sporting Kansas City on June 23 and against Los Angeles FC on July 3.

“We are delighted to bring our remarkable captain back to lead the team into a very tough 2019 season,” said Dynamo Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera. “The Dynamo have to face a very challenging schedule and DaMarcus has been an outstanding pillar for our team, helping us create a mentality of competing to win at all times. His consistency over his career shows not only his talent, but also his professionalism and dedication.”

Beasley, 36, is one of the most decorated players in American soccer history and is the only man to represent the United States at the FIFA World Cup four times. His 11 appearances at the World Cup are tied for second-most in U.S. history.

He has been capped 126 times for the U.S. Men’s National Team with 17 goals, and has displayed remarkable longevity at the international level, representing his country in at least one match in 16 out of 17 years from 2002 through 2017. His 126 caps are the seventh-most in U.S. Soccer history; and he ranks 10th in assists, with 13, and is tied for ninth all-time in goals scored.

Naturally left-footed, Beasley began his career as a winger whose lightning pace and seemingly endless energy allowed him stretch opposing defenses on the flank while still providing defensive cover for his own team. As his career progressed, he made the transition to left back, where he has been among the best at his position in Major League Soccer since rejoining the league with the Dynamo in 2014.

Beasley began his career in MLS with the Chicago Fire, but has played all over the world. He moved to Europe in 2004 with PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie and became the first American to play in the semifinal stages of the UEFA Champions League. He also helped PSV earn back-to-back Eredivisie titles, in 2004-05 and 205-06. He moved to the English Premier League with Manchester City on a loan from PSV during the 2006-07 season.

In 2007, Beasley signed with Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, becoming just the second American to play for the Glasgow giants’ first team. In three seasons with the club, he helped lead them to two SPL championships, along with the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup.

Following a year in the German Bundesliga with Hannover 96, Beasley returned to North America, signing with Puebla in the Mexican Primera Division. Over three seasons with the club, he made 92 appearances and scored 12 goals before returning to MLS with Houston in 2014.

With the addition of Beasley, the Dynamo now have 23 players under contract for the 2019 season.

TRANSACTION: The Houston Dynamo re-sign defender DaMarcus Beasley.

PLAYER PROFILE

FULL NAME: DaMarcus Lamont Beasley
DATE OF BIRTH: May 24, 1982 (36 years old)
HEIGHT: 5’8”
WEIGHT: 145
BIRTHPLACE: Fort Wayne, Indiana
HOMETOWN: Fort Wayne, Indiana
FIFA NATIONALITY: United States

HOUSTON DYNAMO PLAYERS CURRENTLY UNDER CONTRACT