DaMarcus Beasley: the USMNT Can Hold Its Own vs Any Team in the World Cup

DaMarcus Beasley knows what it feels like to walk onto a World Cup pitch at 20 years old. So when he watches Alex Freeman do it at 19, he recognizes the look.

Beasley made his own World Cup debut in 2002, and the show asked him what comes back when he sees the young Americans stepping onto the biggest stage in the sport. His answer started with Freeman, and it was glowing.

"What Alex is doing right now in this World Cup is incredible," Beasley said. "The way he's playing, the confidence that he has, the confidence that his teammates have in him."

He loves the path, too. Freeman came up in Orlando, starting at MLS Next, moving up to MLS Next Pro, then making his first team debut with Orlando. About a year and a half later, by Beasley's count, he is the starting right back for the national team. Beasley noted that Mauricio Pochettino said in an interview that Freeman has the potential to be one of the best right backs in the world.

"His ceiling, I don't even know if he has a ceiling," Beasley said.

He also explained why that youthful fearlessness works. In your first World Cup, you don't know what to expect. You talk to the veterans, you ask whether it's like club football or friendlies, but eventually the whistle blows. "You're a bit naive," he said. "You just go out there and play."

The bigger question was about the whole team. This is obviously the best U.S. side in quite a while by production, but how does it stack up against the rest of the field?

"They're up there. They are up there, I'm telling you," Beasley said. He was quick to add it wasn't just an ex-player talking. Based on the first two matches, he argued the U.S. has turned in some of the top two or three performances in the entire tournament, and he put them in the company of France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Argentina with Messi.

"If they keep this level of performance, they can compete with anybody," he said. He stopped short of predicting a title. The open question, in his view, is whether they can sustain it for three matches in a row. But with fan support behind them, they are riding a wave, and he feels a sense of pride watching them. "They have that grit, they have that tenacity, what our national team has always been about," he said. Then you sprinkle in the talent.

Christian was banged up and didn't play in the previous match, and the show wondered whether he would go that night even with the team listing him as available. That set up the final question: if this team makes a deep run, who drives it?

Beasley didn't hesitate. "The first one on the list, Chris Richards," he said, calling the center back "the heart and soul of this team." He paired Richards with Tyler Adams, saying those two have to play at a high level for the U.S. to go far. He added Christian, who "has to be fit and healthy and 100%," and Weston McKennie.

"Those four, in my opinion, have to be the driving force of this team," Beasley said. And he made a point that might be the most encouraging of all: looking back at the last few games, you can't name a player who has had a bad one.

"If those four can stay healthy, keep the boys going, keep the energy high, then we can have a really good showing at this World Cup."