SI: Is being an American abroad an advantage, disadvantage or neutral?
Beasley: I think people like having an American around. The whole country speaks English so it's easy for me not to speak Dutch because everyone I meet speaks English. So I think being an American here is good. I think they respect me.

SI: You've talked previously about hearing whistles, boos and fans making monkey noises on the road when you had the ball. That was your first real racism experience. How did you block it out?
Beasley: It's kind of hard to, but you can't let that get to you. You just try not to listen. You can definitely hear it but at the same time you just have to block it out and play. Score and play well. That's the way they will shut up. It's hard to block out sometimes but at the same time, that part you have to get over and play. Being talked about racially sucks, but at the same time, I have to carry on and do my job. This year I haven't got any boos, so it's better for me right now. But at the same time, I'm sure it will happen sometime soon. Racism exists in soccer. It sucks but it does. It's weird: You have guys on your team that are African-American and you are booing me. I haven't received any racial taunts this year, though.

SI: Did anyone prepare you for it?
Beasley: [U.S. national-team member] Cory Gibbs did a little bit because he played in Germany and they are a little racist there. He definitely received some racial taunts. He warned me about it.

SI: So for this year, at least, no incidents yet?
Beasley: No racial stuff yet, no.

SI: Describe the level of fandom in Eindhoven?
Beasley: The stadium holds like 36,000 and sells out pretty much every game. Everything here is about PSV. People walk around with jerseys every day and you see PSV stuff in the windows. When we play, win or lose, we are in the paper on the first three, four, five or six pages.

SI: When you are walking around, how often are you recognized?
Beasley: I'm recognized on a daily basis two or three times a day, but it's not bad. Holland is not a real crazy kind of country. It's quiet, and people tend to leave you alone. They say, "Hello, how are you doing?" Maybe an autograph here or there. I definitely stick out in my city but I don't feel threatened to go out. I get noticed every day but it's not as though I feel threatened and people are hounding me every five minutes for my autograph. It's more like, "How are you doing? Nice to have you here. Do you like it here?" Then they move on.

SI: What's the most American thing you have on your walls?
Beasley: I don't really have anything hanging up. The only thing I have on my walls is my TV.

SI: Can you follow U.S. sports at all?
Beasley: I'm just about to get a box with 600 channels so I can get some ESPN channels. Right now, it's just through the Internet. I follow basketball the most. I like the Pacers because I'm from Indiana, and I like the Sixers. I'm an A.I. fan.

SI: What's a realistic goal for the U.S. at the World Cup?
Beasley: Same thing we did last time. That's realistic. I think the U.S. is coming along. I'm not saying we're going to win the World Cup. I'm not saying that. I think we're a ways from that. But at the same time I think the feat that we did four years ago is a feat we can do again. We always have the mentality of playing one game at a time. We're not Brazil. We're not Argentina and Italy in that they can kind of go through the group phase and turn it on in the second round and quarterfinals. We have to turn it on from the first game. Everybody wants to beat us. I'm sure they are not happy we are sixth in the world. Everybody wants to show that they are better than the U.S. and that we shouldn't be playing soccer. That's another piece of pressure we have -- everyone wants to beat us. We're not going to sneak up on anyone. Everybody knows that American players can play. We're a good team.

SI: The best stadium you have played in?
Beasley: The Nou Camp in Barcelona, San Siro in Milan and Old Trafford. I played at Manchester United in my first game for PSV. Welcome to Holland, right? You play Manchester United in Old Trafford. [Laughs]. We lost 1-0, but it was an experience.

SI: Your teammates have gotten on you for your American style of dress, right?
Beasley: People come to training in Gucci, Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana. And I'm just wearing Nike sweats and a sweatshirt. That's what people come to train in the States. People come here to training what they would wear to a club. I'm like, that's not me -- the tight jeans have to go. Everything else is OK. The shirts are OK, a little crazy. The only thing that has to go are the jeans. I can't wear tight jeans and a tight shirt. I'm not adapting to that part.

SI: Last February you played in FIFA's Game of Hope, the lone American player on a World All-Star side captained by Brazil's Ronaldinho. What was your favorite moment from that day or game?
Beasley: I was starstruck before the game. We had a meeting where all the players met in the room and you see [Zinedine] Zidane, you see [David] Beckham, you see [Thierry] Henry, you see [Paolo] Maldini. A lot of money in that room. [Laughs]. It's ridiculous to be in that room. Some guys weren't the best. Other guys were nice and cool. I was starstruck in the beginning but in the game, you just play and it was fun. I enjoyed myself in Barcelona.

SI: Anybody who wanted to really talk to?
Beasley: I wanted to be a fan. I wanted to take pictures. But nobody had cameras out so I didn't want to bring mine out. I just wanted to be a big fan. Those are the guys everybody dreams of playing with and playing against. Playing against players like Zidane and Ronaldinho and Cafu and the Brazilian players. To get to play with them was fun. For me, it was an event.

SI: At 126 pounds, you were the lightest player at the '02 World Cup. Have you put on some weight?
Beasley: I'm probably about 137 now so I'm a little bit bigger. I'll be heavyweight real soon.

SI: On days when you are not training or playing, what's your favorite thing to do?
Beasley: I usually just chill at my house. There's really not much do in Eindhoven. I play pool sometimes or I'll go to my boy Cory Gibbs' house. He lives in Rotterdam. That's a big city. We'll hang out and have a dinner and chill. We can get away from soccer for a bit and talk about other things. Having a friend so close -- and he's my roommate on the national team -- it's kind of cool to have him about 40 minutes away. We usually see each other once or twice a week and speak on the phone almost every day. I'm sounding like he's my boyfriend. [Laughs]. But we're good friends.

SI: What music do you prefer prior to heading on the pitch?
Beasley: I'm a big fan of Nas, DMX, Jay-Z. I like all kinds of reggae. I listen to the "get-excited crunk music" before games. At PSV, I listen to as much as I can before the locker room and then you hope that will last for an hour. But it usually doesn't.

SI: In your ultimate dream scenario, where would you love to play?
Beasley: My dream is to play for Barcelona. I heard so many stories from Hristo Stoitchkov when he was in Chicago. Just how great the club was and how it is there. That would be an unbelievable achievement to play for them, but I am realistic so I know it might not happen. Playing in Spain would be good. I've been there twice. Once for 24 hours and the second time for about 48 hours. Being there even that short amount of time, it's my favorite city

SI: How often do you eat Dutch food?
Beasley: I have a favorite restaurant. It's kind of like a steak and grill place. They have Italian food here and Chinese and Mexican, although the Mexican is not very good.

SI: This is your second year there. Have you won the fans over?
Beasley: I think so. Last year I think most of the players won the fans over because of the season that we had, and I did my part, scoring goals when I got my chance. I think the fans enjoy me playing here and I enjoy playing in front of them. I like playing at home in front of a home crowd.

SI: Ronaldo, Romério and Ruud van Nistelrooy all played for PSV and moved on to bigger clubs. Was that one of things that attracted you to PSV?
Beasley: Definitely. Holland is known for getting young players used to the European life and soccer and then selling them. Holland buys young players and sells them maybe two or three years later. That's what attracted me to here. I get a good start here and get used to the life, try to get to the Champions League and after that and go to another club and learn from another club.

SI: When you are playing against a big club, are you trying to impress them knowing you could play for them one day?
Beasley: You always want to play well. I play for my team. I don't play for anyone else. If I play well and someone sees me, so be it. I'll think about that down the road. But I want to play well for my club. I don't play to try get a contract somewhere else. I don't play to make more money at a bigger club. Eventually, yes, I want to go a bigger club and play for England or Spain, but right now, I play for PSV.

SI: At PSV you are an attacking player, in front of the goal often. It's a much different role than the one you had in the MLS. Do you like it?
Beasley: I think it's good. Personally, being an attacking player is what I like to do. I like to defend sometimes but I like to score goals and be up front. With Chicago I couldn't do it a lot because they needed me to play a defensive role in some games. But it didn't hurt me. It helped me in my role on the national team by far. The thing that was missing from my game was being more attack-minded, and with PSV, I'm a striker and I'm always up top at the goal or near the goal.

SI: How difficult is the adjustment for you when you go from PSV's style of play to the national team?
Beasley: I think the transition is pretty easy. The national team, you know all the guys and you know what you are going to get from each guy. Everybody is American and we are all fighting for the same thing. I find it pretty easy to do. I know what Bruce Arena wants for me as a national-team player and I know what [PSV coach Guus] Hiddink wants from me as a club player. It's easy to change my mentality. I have my iPod and listen to music before games when I'm with the national team and I don't do that when I'm with PSV.

SI: You were the first American to start a Champions League semifinal game. It must be unlike any other tournament outside the World Cup, right?
Beasley: Everybody wants to play in it. Everyone wants to win it. It is tournament where you have the best teams in the world fighting to be the best. There is an extra passion around Champions League games. It's loud and exciting when you play in your league, but when you play Champions League, the level of intensity is up 50 percent. It's so high. Those games are very important to our club. We hold higher regard for those games. There's nothing like the World Cup, but it's pretty close.

SI: How often do you take language lessons?
Beasley: Right now since we have so many games, we don't really have lessons. But usually once a week. There is a classroom in our training facility. We have so many international guys now so it's now me, three Australians, one guy from Finland and the Latin players. The teacher speaks Spanish, English and Dutch. So he does different classes. In the beginning it was just me and one Australian guy, two Brazilians and a guy from Peru. That was it from last year. We were all in a room together and listening to the Spanish guys talk Dutch was funny. We had a good time in there. We rarely did work. All we did was laugh and make jokes and crack on people how they talk. Because I speak a little Spanish, it was funny to hear what they were saying.

SI: What's the one thing from Indiana you long for most?
Beasley: My Mom's cooking. She makes the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had. When we have family outings, she makes macaroni and cheese. My Mom's mac and cheese is the best. Whenever I see here I ask her to cook it for me. She knows I don't eat many home-cooked meals ever. I always eat out. So that's what I miss the most in Indiana.

SI: Who will play you in the movie if the U.S. wins the '06 World Cup?
Beasley: It'll be between Chris Rock or Chris Tucker. I lean more to Chris Rock because people say I look like him and sound like him when I talk.