U.S. Soccer Report

CARSON, Calif. (Ticker) - United States coach Bob Bradley believes Rangers winger DaMarcus Beasley has become a more polished performer after returning from a knee injury. Beasley, 26, gave a bright display in the scoreless draw against Argentina last weekend in New Jersey and is now set to star in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against Barbados with the U.S. national team this month.

"DaMarcus has made an incredible recovery from his knee injury," Bradley said. "I think we were all very excited with his play against Argentina. He was very mobile in that game. He worked very hard for the team. You could see the types of runs and quickness that have always been a part of his game, come back very, very strong." Bradley believes that with every game Beasley is showing not only his quality but a growing maturity. "He has certainly grown in terms of his ability to intelligently decide when to pass the ball and move, when to take people on (and) he continues to work hard (to improve) his crossing to set up goals and his finishing," Bradley said.

Rangers will be looking for Beasley to stamp his mark on the Scottish game next season, after his first year at Ibrox was marred by a knee ligament injury sustained in November. He recovered in time to play, and score, against Queen of the South in last month's Scottish Cup final. Bradley said that Beasley is one of the most important players on the team because his quickness can open up opposing defenses. "He was a very important player for us last year during the Gold Cup," Bradley said. "We missed him during a period of games when he was out of action and it's very, very nice to have him back with our team."

Although Beasley is still working on his match fitness, the number of games he has been involved in over the past month is helping him get up to speed. "When you come back from injury, that part can sometimes go up and down a little bit," Bradley said. "I think that getting him back on the field, getting him games, we'll see that type of sharpness in his play return very quickly."