U.S. national team winger DaMarcus Beasley started and played a vital role in Rangers’ 3-2 victory over Queen of the South in this past weekend’s Scottish Cup final. It was his first start since injuring his knee last year in the UEFA Champions League.
In the final, Beasley played 76 minutes and had a hand in all three goals scored by the Glasgow side. He set up Rangers’ opening goal after drawing a foul, scored the second, and delivered the corner kick that was headed home for the decisive goal.
After this tremendous performance, U.S. coach Bob Bradley should have no trouble inserting Beasley into the starting eleven. All questions of fitness were answered in the Scottish Cup final.
Beasley was recently quoted in the British media saying that he wants to score against friend and former teammate Joe Hart. The goalkeeper looks like a lock to start his first international match for England against the USA. Hart and Beasley were briefly teammates at Manchester City. When Beasley moved north to Rangers, Hart remained and enjoyed a fantastic campaign for UEFA Cup bound City.
If Hart earns his first cap and Beasley finds his way onto the pitch, then friends and former teammates will be adversaries on Wednesday night.