If you're looking for a little perspective about something going on in American soccer, there aren't many better places to start than with DaMarcus Beasley.
A U.S. men's national team legend for a number of reasons, Beasley has lived basically everything there is to live at the highest level of the game. He's played in four World Cups and in several of the world's best leagues with several top-class clubs.
One of Beasley's biggest experiences, one of his most notable achievements, was his role in PSV's run to the 2004-05 Champions League semifinals. At just 22, Beasley was a key member of that team, starting the first leg of that memorable last-four clash with an AC Milan team that featured the likes of Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo and Andrea Pirlo, to name just a few.
So, if there's anyone that understands what it's like to walk in the shoes of Christian Pulisic or Zack Steffen, the two Americans that will have a chance to get their hands on a Champions League winners' medal this weekend when Chelsea play Manchester City in Porto, it's Beasley.
"Even though there was no social media back then, you know you're playing in the semifinal," Beasley tells Goal. "I didn't think about that American part of it, that I was one of the only Americans to get to play in the semifinal or start in a semifinal. I didn't even know about that part of it until years after I did it.
"You just want to play. I've been in their shoes, being a young player, and you don't really think about the importance of it. At the club level, it's the Champions League, at the national team level is the World Cup – those tournaments are just the tournaments players want to play in.
"It had been 15 years since I played in the Champions League semi-finals and now we've done it two years in a row, with Tyler Adams last year with RB Leipzig, and now with Christian and Zack. There's going to be an American that's going to win the Champions League. That's crazy! "
During his own Champions League run with PSV, Beasley, who is now an owner of Fort Wayne FC and a key part of Houston's World Cup bid, led the Dutch powerhouses with 4 goals in 12 European matches and guided them past Lyon and Monaco to start the group stages.
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However, after starting in the first game against Milan, a 2-0 loss in Italy, Beasley was unable to feature in the second leg due to a knee injury. PSV won 3-1 on the night but missed out on the away-goals rule, as Milan made it to Istanbul, where they suffered a famous loss to Liverpool.
That 2004-05 campaign, though, was seen as a high point for American soccer. Alongside Beasley, five other Americans featured in the Champions League that season. This term, there have been nine, with many of those nine featuring for clubs that were contenders to win the whole thing, including Weston McKennie at Juventus, and Barcelona's Sergino Dest.
This weekend, though, it's about Pulisic and Steffen, with the result of the game determining which of the two will be the first American since Jovan Kirovski to get their hands on the Champions League trophy.
Regardless, Pulisic and Steffen will be the first two Americans named to the matchday squad for a Champions League final, as Kirovski was not involved in the later stages of Borussia Dortmund's run to glory in 1996-97.
Steffen is unlikely to start, as the American goalkeeper would only be required should something catastrophic happen to Ederson, but Pulisic could very well be the first American to ever see the field in a Champions League final.
Pulisic has featured nine times for Chelsea, scoring two goals, including a vital finish in the Blues' semi-final triumph over Real Madrid. Steffen, meanwhile, earned his Champions League debut in December, featuring in the last game of the group stage while a clean sheet in a 3–0 win over Marseille.
As a result of their Champions League duties, both Pulisic and Steffen will be unable to join up with the USMNT ahead of this weekend's friendly with Switzerland and will instead meet up with the team just ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals against Honduras.
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However, it's safe to say Gregg Berhalter doesn't mind, as he and the rest of the USMNT players in camp are looking forward to watching American soccer history this weekend.
"They both did it in two completely different ways," Berhalter says. "When I think about Zach, it's bravery, his bravery to say, 'I'm going to stay here even though my playing time might be limited, but I'm going to be learning, and I'm going to be part of a project.' That's massive.
"City won the Premier League this year and now they have a chance to win the Champions League. He played in the League Cup final, he's played a number of Premier League games, so he had to make that decision on his own and it's not an easy decision to make.
"When I look back on his year, I would say that he's definitely improved he's definitely progressed and that's all you want from a player.
"With Christian, it was different. He struggled at the beginning of the season, had some injuries, but when I think about him, it's just relentlessness. It's a guy who doesn't give up.
"And we had a lot of conversations, and I just kept encouraging him and saying, 'You have quality, keep going', and he showed he can do his talking on the field. That's what we're most proud of: the way he got back onto the field and then the way he just kept persevering and performing was really great.
"When you think about having two Americans now playing in the Champions League final, I get goosebumps thinking about it. It's an amazing feeling. We're going to be watching them and rooting them on. I'm proud of both of them."
Berhalter isn't the only one looking on with a sense of pride, as a former USMNT head coach is also eager to see Saturday's impact on the American game.
Both Pulisic and Steffen earned their first USMNT call-ups under Jurgen Klinsmann and, in the years since his departure, the German legend has continued to follow their progress.
Having experienced these sorts of major games himself, both as a player and a coach, Klinsmann just hopes that his two former players can enjoy the moment.
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"For us, looking at those players from the outside, you're just happy for them," the World Cup winner says. "It's just such a big pleasure to see American players in those huge clubs, representing American soccer.
"I think they feel that and I think they know, so it's something very rewarding for them. I hope now that Zack and Christian get to experience every minute of this, the Champions League final on Saturday, in an intense way, in a way that they really can later say, 'Oh my gosh, I really enjoyed that so much.' It's really special."
And so the question becomes, what's next? Is this the start of a trend, one which would mean getting used to seeing American players playing in these sorts of games? Or is it the perfect combination of luck and skill, the two things required to make a big run at any major tournament?
Saturday's finale very much could be a pivotal moment for American soccer, one that leads to bigger and better things. But USMNT legend Brad Friedel says that while that may be true, it's important to not lose sight of the little things while looking at the big picture.
At the end of the day, in Friedel's eyes, it's Pulisic vs. Steffen and Chelsea vs. Manchester City, not American vs. American. Those two players earned their way to this spot, and Friedel says that they deserve the bulk of the credit for doing so.
"I don't know what it means for U.S. Soccer," Friedel tells Goal, "but Zack is an outstanding goalkeeper and Christian is arguably our best player, definitely on the attacking front and is at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"It is fantastic for U.S. Soccer but maybe not a statement. Those two players deserve where they are at and have fantastic careers ahead of them."
Friedel, Klinsmann, Berhalter and Beasley will be among the millions watching this weekend and among the many Americans keeping a close eye on a game that involved two of their own. Each has different views, different aspects that excite them, but that's the keyword, isn't it? Excitement.
Beasley, a former Manchester City player, admits he will be pulling for his former club and hopes that they can finally get their hands on that long-awaited Champions League crown. However, he's excited, no matter the result, about seeing other Americans surpass even the lofty standards he set throughout his historic career.
"I wish them luck and I hope we keep this going," Beasley says. "We use the word contagious. I just hope it's contagious, and I hope we keep this going and keep an American in these big games."
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