ATLANTA, GEORGIA—An Atlanta native who plays professionally in Spain was a starter for the United States Men’s National team soccer roster (USMNT) in their emphatic 5-1 win against Panama last March 27 at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Shaq Moore, a native of Powder Springs, played superbly on the defensive end to help USMNT beat the visiting Panama soccer team. Currently second in the Octagonal, the win guarantees USMNT a top-four finish in the Concacaf World Cup qualifying standings. The top three teams qualify directly for the World Cup. At the same time, the fourth-place finisher will participate in an intercontinental playoff against the winner of Oceania’s World Cup qualifying tournament for a berth in Qatar.
At the moment, USMNT has 25 points from 13 matches but has a massive edge (+13 to +3) in the first tiebreaker — goal differential — over fourth-place Costa Rica (22 points), which puts the USA in a solid position to earn its World Cup berth on Wednesday. Aside from Moore, Atlanta United defensive specialists Miles Robinson and George Bello also plays for USMNT.
Robinson plays for Atlanta United, while Bello is a former team player. Robinson started all six matches and scored two goals at the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he helped the U.S. secure five clean sheets and scored the game-winning goal in the final as the U.S. beat Mexico 1-0. He started six World Cup Qualifiers in 2021 and was nominated for U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year.
Bello now plays for the Arminia Bielefeld of the German Bundesliga and makes his debut for the new club on February 7 against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bello, 20, has made six appearances for the USMNT, making his senior team debut against Trinidad and Tobago on January 31, 2021.
Bello started two matches during the USMNT’s run to the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup title, including the 1-0 victory against Mexico in the final. The left-back started two Concacaf qualification matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup against Honduras on September 9 and Panama on October 11, and a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 18. In 2021, Bello was nominated for U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year.
