Hours after moving to the top of the Allocation Order, the Houston Dynamo made their signing of DaMarcus Beasley official. The only United States player to have appeared in four separate World Cups was signed to a Designated Player contract, reportedly for two-and-a-half years. The Dynamo had traded Warren Creavalle to Toronto FC in order to move to the top of the Allocation Order.
DaMarcus Beasley signs with Houston Dynamo
USMNT veteran gets a Designated Player contract to return to MLS after leaving in 2004.
Kevin C. Cox
“I am excited and ready to start this new chapter in my career,” Beasley said in a team release. “I have heard great things from Brad [Davis] and Rico [Clark] about Houston, the team and the fans, and I’m excited to get to know them. I feel fit and ready to go and hope Dom [Kinnear] will see my work ethic and desire to play at a high level.”
Rumors that Beasley was interested in returning to MLS have been circulating for months and started to heat up this week when the Washington Post first reported that he was close to signing with the league. Beasley had spent the past three seasons with Liga MX's Puebla, rediscovering the kind of form many had assumed he'd lost after bouncing around from different leagues around Europe since transferring from the Chicago Fire to the Eredivisie's PSV Eindhoven in 2004.
Beasley was able to log no fewer than 2,200 minutes in each of his three seasons with Puebla as he transitioned from more of an attacking player -- he scored seven goals in his first season there -- to more of a defensive one. That move move to left back also was what got him back into the USMNT where he’d made just four appearances from 2011-12. Beasley ended up becoming a fixture as left back under Jurgen Klinsmann, starting in seven World Cup qualifiers and in all four World Cup games. The 32-year-old has earned 120 caps with the USMNT, fifth most all time.
Despite that success, it is largely assumed that Beasley will move back into the midfield with the Dynamo. He would be suited to either play on the left, which would move Brad Davis to the middle, or on the right next to Oscar Boniek-Garcia. This is also rumored to be just the first of two additions the Dynamo are making, as they are apparently looking to add another player with World Cup experience.
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