<span class="titolo">Beasley Likely Out for Season</span></p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <span class="sommario">The American winger needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his knee suffered on Tuesday.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">U.S. National Team midfielder DaMarcus Beasley will have surgery to repair a damaged knee ligament, which will likely keep him out of action for the rest of the Glasgow Rangers' 2007-08 season as well as the handful of international matches the Americans are scheduled to play during the beginning of next year.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o></o>Beasley was injured during his side’s loss to <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Stuttgart</st1:city></st1lace> on Tuesday when he collided with goalkeeper Raphael Schafer. He was then taken off the field on a stretcher. While the team knew right away that the injury was likely a serious one, it wasn’t confirmed until Friday.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o></o>"Beasley will be out for quite a lengthy period," said Rangers manager Walter Smith. "He has to go for an operation, which he will go to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">America</st1lace></st1:country-region> for. We will have a better idea after that operation, but it will be months before he is back. How many, I'm not quite sure."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o></o>The 25-year-old, who has played for the <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1lace> in the last two World Cups, signed with Rangers in June from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. Thus far, Beasley has played in 19 games for Rangers, scoring four goals.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o></o>"It's a bigger blow for him in the sense that no player likes to be out for what could be a considerable length of time," Smith said. "For us, he was settling in and he was starting to do well. He has a bit of pace in the wider areas on the pitch, so we will miss him."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o></o>The U.S. National Team doesn’t have a game of real consequence until they start CONCACAF World Cup qualifying in June against the winner of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Dominica</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Barbados</st1lace></st1:country-region> in a home-and-away series.</p> </div></p>
