This day in football history

On 27 January 2001, 18-year old midfielder Damarcus Beasley collected his first cap for the United States senior team in a 2–1 friendly win over China played in Oakland, California. Known primarily for his pace on the left wing, Beasley has been versatile, also playing at forward and left back for the national team.

Beasley had previously been a standout for the U-17s, who reached the semifinals of the 1999 U-17 World Championship, with Beasley earning the Silver Ball award as the tournament’s second most valuable player.

He is the only U.S. international to play in four World Cups — 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. In 2006, he provided the assist for the only goal scored by the Americans, a 43rd-minute equalizer by Clint Dempsey in the final group-stage match against Ghana. Beasley put the ball in the back of the net against Italy, but the goal was disallowed after the referee determined that forward Brian McBride had screened the Italian goalkeeper from an offside position.

In 2014, he played in all four of the US’s World Cup matches, then retired from international football in December of that year with a career total of 121 appearances.