Playing in some of the world’s best leagues can create a high standard. Last week, DaMarcus Beasley feels he fell short.
The four-time World Cup veteran has acclimated well since joining the Houston Dynamo in August, pitching in some good performances in five games. Last Saturday in a 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew, however, Beasley feels he had more to give.
“That wasn’t my best game with the ball,” Beasley said. “I defended OK, but with the ball I wasn’t very good. I couldn’t find an open man in the first 10 minutes to save my life.”
For an attack that produced two goals in the first half, Beasley feels he was off the mark more than he should have been.
“It wasn’t my best start, I know that. Nobody needs to tell me that,” he said. “I hold myself accountable for my performance on Saturday. It wasn’t good enough for me from my standpoint. For me to play week in and week out, I can’t play like that. For me, I’m confident in my ability and that those games don’t come very often.”
Things improved in the second half when he made several good runs with the ball into the attacking area, an approach that also draws a lot of attention from opponents.
“A lot of teams know he wants to get forward, so they try to cut that off,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “He’s made a couple of runs each game, and we’d like to see him attack as much as we can but it also falls on us to keep possession in the right areas in order for that to happen.”
Getting the most out of Beasley is vital to Houston’s success.
When he first arrived, along with fellow newcomer Luis Garrido, a defensive midfielder, the club saw an improvement in their defensive play and his ability to get forward stood out. The Dynamo, in turn, pushed their way back into the playoff race and are currently five points out with seven games to play and one in hand on all but one team ahead them.
A tough task, perhaps, but it’s one the club feels they have the tools to get done. Part of that will come down to Beasley’s play, and he gets a chance to redeem himself Saturday in a road game against the Philadelphia Union (6 p.m. CT; CSN Plus/Telemundo).
“The best thing about soccer is that you have another game to improve and be better,” Beasley said. “We’ve put ourselves in the playoffs, and that’s what this team’s about. I’m looking forward to Saturday, and I can’t wait to step on the field and improve tremendously from what I did on Saturday.”
Darrell Lovell covers Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
