DaMarcus Beasley has seen Mauricio Pochettino up close. He has observed how the new U.S. manager works with a star-studded group of players, watched the tweaks he makes on the pitch. A long time USMNT international himself – with 126 caps to his name – Beasley can see it all working.
“I’m really intrigued to see what he can do with the squad leading up to the World Cup,” Beasley says.
But it’s not just the national team that Beasley has his eyes on. After a 20-year professional career that carried him first to Europe, then Mexico, then back home to Major League Soccer, the left midfielder knows U.S. soccer inside out. And now, almost five years on from retirement, he can sit back, and appreciate the growth.
“The league is in a good moment. It’s still growing… they’re adding another team to the bunch with San Diego,” Beasley says.
There is excitement to be found everywhere. Whispers of a potential transfer for Kevin De Bruyne to MLS grow louder every week. There are murmurs that Neymar could even unite with his former Barcelona teammates at Inter Miami. The whole thing has raised the standard of the league, Beasley says.
Still, Beasley has some concerns. A restrictive salary cap has placed limits on just how much MLS teams can spend, while there is no obvious approach to the impending, inevitable retirement of Lionel Messi. Figuring out what comes next is tricky. Either way, there’s room for optimism, the U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer said.
Beasley discussed MLS, USMNT, Antonee Robinson, and post-playing life, in the latest edition of Mic’d Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.