getting playing time in the upcoming season.
Beasley doesn't want to leave Rangers. He loves Glasgow, is energized by the passion of the Light Blues' rabid fans and relishes the chance to experience again the UEFA Champions League glory he enjoyed with PSV Eindhoven in 2005. But, as he told Scotland's Daily Star earlier this month, "I have one more year on my contract with Rangers and I would love to stay, but the management team know that this is an important year for me and I need to be playing regularly."
While Rangers manager Walter Smith is under pressure to offload players due to the club's well-documented financial problems, he is not one to make rash moves. Gifted, naturally left-footed players are always in short supply in soccer, and a healthy Beasley is one of them. Many of Beasley's detractors (of which there are suddenly many) seem to have forgotten that the Fort Wayne, Ind. native is also a natural born winner.
He first emerged on the world stage as a teenager, gaining the Silver Ball Award at the 1999 U-17 FIFA World Cup (Landon Donovan won the Golden Ball Award). The flying winger helped the Chicago Fire win the U.S. Open Cup twice (2000 and 2003) before heading to the Netherlands and more silverware with PSV Eindhoven. In Holland, he was a member of two Dutch title-winning teams with PSV and also won the 2005 Dutch Cup. But his biggest contribution came in the UEFA Champions League, where he helped Guus Hiddink's team reach the semifinals in 2005, the first U.S. player to play in the UCL final four.
In Scotland, Beasley has continued to stock his trophy cabinet, helping Rangers win the 2008 Scottish Cup and the SPL crown last season.
But his contributions to the fueling of the Glasgow juggernaut have been minimal, at best, since his move two years ago. Injuries and few opportunities for an extended run in the team have hurt Beasley's game. By his own admission, last season was the toughest of his career. Yet, when U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley called on Beasley to drop back to left back in the recent World Cup qualifying games against Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago, there were no complaints from the two-time World Cup Finals veteran, even though he could never remember playing the position.
When stop-gap turned to stop-the-presses against Brazil at last month's Confederations Cup, Beasley accepted the blame (and the full brunt of the media's criticism) for his mistake that led to Brazil's second goal and effectively ended the match before it had barely begun. Substituted at halftime against Brazil, many pundits subsequently wrote off Beasley's international career. It would be a pity if that were the case.
Rust was clearly a factor in Beasley's admitted poor national team performances of recent weeks. But how many players would not only face the media after such a mistake, and even more impressively, cheer hard for his teammates from the bench for the rest of the tournament? Such professionalism is a breath of fresh air in modern sports, which is why one should root for Beasley this coming season be it at Rangers or elsewhere.
It's not only important for Beasley to get playing time this season and re-attain the standards of his PSV days, but it's important for the U.S. national team's prospects next summer as well. While skilled left-footed players are rare commodities, good teammates can often be even harder to find.
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
A trio of MLS alumni --
Troy Perkins
,
Michael Parkhurst
and
Freddy Adu
-- started for the U.S. national team in its 2-0 win against Honduras in Group B action on July 8 in Washington, D.C. Adu, who came out of the game in the 63rd minute, left the national team camp last week with the blessing of head coach Bob Bradley to rejoin Benfica in Portugal. For former D.C. United goalkeeper Perkins it was a happy return to RFK Stadium as he posted his second consecutive Gold Cup shutout. Ex-Revs defender Parkhurst played the full 90, but picked up a yellow card in the 89th minute.
In their final Group B game on Saturday, July 11 in Foxborough, the U.S. survived a scare as Haiti pushed a young, experimental team to the limit in a 2-2 tie. The Houston Dynamo's Stuart Holden scored on a long-range net buster in the 90th minute to tie the game and spare the U.S. blushes. Parkhurst played the full 90 on his return to Gillette Stadium. He also picked up his second yellow card in as many games in the 31st minute. Like Adu, Parkhurst left the U.S. team on Monday to rejoin his club team, FC Nordsjaelland. The new Danish season kicks off on July 26. The U.S. squad's other MLS alums, Perkins and Clarence Goodson, dressed for the game but remained on the bench.
Another former New England Revolution player, Ricardo Phillips, was at the center of an ugly incident in Panama's 1-1 tie with Mexico on Thursday, July 9 in Houston. In the 79th minute, Phillips was red-carded for retaliation against El Tri's head coach Javier Aguirre. Although on field violence can't be condoned, Phillips might have qualified as a Nobel Peace Prize candidate if he had not reacted after Aguirre kicked him as he dribbled along the sideline. Aguirre was subsequently suspended for three matches. Phillips was suspended for Panama's 4-0 defeat of Nicaragua on Sunday, July 12, in Glendale, Ariz. Former Real Salt Lake forward Luis Tejada scored two goals for Panama after coming on as a second-half substitute.
On Friday, July 10 in Group A action, Costa Rica and Canada played to a 2-2 tie. Former Fire and Crew forward Andy Herron scored the Ticos' opening goal. Ex-Toronto FC goalkeeper Greg Sutton manned the nets for Canada. Former Colorado Rapids defender Adrian Cann was a second-half substitute for the Canadians.
Elsewhere around the world
In Argentina, Gimnasia La Plata's former D.C. United loanee
Franco Niell
scored the two most important goals of his career on Sunday, July 12, in the Primera playoff game with Atletico Rafaela. In the home-and-home series, Gimnasia lost the first leg at Rafaela on July 9, 3-0. At home on Sunday, Gimnasia held a 1-0 lead until the 88th minute. Down to nine men and with relegation seemingly inevitable for Gimnasia, Niell, who came into the game as a 63rd-minute substitute, scored two goals in the final two minutes of the game to give Gimnasia a 3-0 win and preserve their Primera Division status.
In Australia, former FC Dallas and Kansas City Wizards striker Eddie Johnson scored Fulham's second goal in a 3-0 exhibition game win over Melbourne Victory on Saturday, July 11.
In Brazil, it was Week 10 of the Campeonato Brasileirao, but the final round for former MetroStars head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira with Fluminense. Following the Rio giants' 1-0 home loss to Santo André, Parreira was fired as head coach. The defeat dropped Fluminense to 17th place in the standings and into the relegation zone. Parreira posted an 8-9-7 record overall in 24 games with Fluminense. Also on Sunday, former MetroStars defender Danilo da Silva was a second-half substitute as Internacional was on the wrong side of a 3-2 result at Atletico Paranaense.
In Norway, on Sunday, former Toronto FC goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos started for Lynn Oslo in their 1-0 home loss to Bodo/Glimt. Former Real Salt Lake defender Willis Forko played the full 90 for BG. Ex-Fire and Wizards midfielder Khari Stephenson was a second-half substitute as Aalesund tied 1-1 at Lillestrom. Multi-team MLS veteran Hunter Freeman scored on a header for IK Start as the Oslo-based team won 2-1 at Odd Grenland. Former Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake defender Douglas Sequeira played the full 90 as Tromso beat Valerenga 2-0 on Monday night.
In Peru, on Saturday in Week 21 of the Primera Professional de Peru, former D.C. United goalkeeper Jose Carvallo's Sporting Cristal lost their second straight game, going down 3-1 at Inti Gas Deportes. Hector Ramirez scored two goals for IGD.
In Scotland, former Rapids, Revs and Crew assistant coach John Murphy put his new charges at Scottish First Division side Livingston FC through their paces in preseason training. The 42-year-old Murphy was appointed head coach of crisis club Livingston on June 30. Murphy, the first American to be head coach of a Scottish league team, may not get the chance to lead the team into the new season due to the financial problems that has left Livingston on the verge of bankruptcy.
In Sweden on Sunday, Ryan Miller, who played in three CONCACAF Champions League games for D.C. United but didn't get into an MLS game, made his debut for Superettan (Second Division) side Ljungskile at Angelholm. Miller played the full 90 at right back for his new team, who are currently at the bottom of the standings.
Tradewinds
Jozy Altidore's
agent, Lyle Yorks, confirmed to Goal.com on Saturday that Greece Super League side Olympiakos have discussed taking the former Red Bulls striker on loan from Villarreal for the upcoming season. Yorks stressed that no deal had been completed and claimed that teams in Germany, Spain and England had also shown interest in the dynamic young striker. Villarreal's new head coach Ernesto Valverde led Olympiakos to the Greek Super League title last season.
Former Colorado Rapids player Dedi Ben Dayan has signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv. The Israel international played for Maccabi Netanya during the just-concluded campaign. Hapoel finished second in the Israel Premier League last season.
Tony Caig, who played seven games for the Houston Dynamo over two seasons, has been appointed the goalkeeping coach of English League One side Carlisle United.
Performance of the week
With relegation from Argentina's Primera division staring them in the face on Sunday, Gimnasia La Plata were rescued by an unlikely superhero -- former D.C. United loanee
Franco Niell
. Down to nine men (after two red cards) and trailing Atletico de Rafaela 3-1 on aggregate with two minutes left in the home second leg, all seemed lost for Gimnasia. However, Niell had other ideas. As he had throughout the Clausura campaign, Niell came into the game as a second-half substitute and this time literally turned it on his head. With headed goals in the 89th and 90th minutes, Niell's unlikely brace gave Gimnasia a 3-0 win and preserved their Primera league status.
Mark C. Young is an Emmy Award-winning freelance writer/TV producer who has covered several FIFA World Cups and Olympic Games. He is a contributor to Goal.com and also writes for the blog "No Mas."
