Shaq Moore stepped into the U.S. men’s national team starting lineup for Sunday’s Gold Cup opener win against Haiti after presumed starter Reggie Cannon was ruled out because of a hamstring injury.
Moore responded with an excellent performance at right back, earning SBI USMNT Man of the Match honors after the 1-0 victory over Haiti.
Moore earned his first cap in a competitive match Sunday night and excelled both defensively and in the attack from the right back spot on a night which included multiple USMNT debuts and strong first impressions.
Defensively, Moore had two clearances, an 80% passing rate and won seven duels and two tackles. He was an effective outlet into wide areas while the USMNT struggled to establish itself in the midfield. Haiti also found most of its service coming from its left side, which Moore snuffed out.
Moore’s biggest contribution on the night came on the winning goal, with his cross starting the sequence that led to Sam Vines’ goal, with Gyasi Zardes redirecting Moore’s cross to an open space for Vines to head it home.
Moore edged out a handful of teammates for Man of the Match honors, including Miles Robinson, who fended off Haiti’s attacks in the second half and maintained a passing rate of 94.3%. Kellyn Acosta turned in a similarly stable performance in midfield, with one key pass and 93% of passes completed. Gyasi Zardes assisted Sam Vines’ eighth-minute goal and remained dangerous throughout the match.
What did you think of Moore’s performance? Who was your pick for USMNT Man of the Match?
Share your thoughts below.
Shaq, was a bright spot but his shine lacked quality crosses. His crosses were low and off target. I am being critical but part of his position description in the final third is delivering dangerous service into the box from wide positions. Left side was not much.
I’ve been saying this for awhile! Shaq Moore is good! It may have been against Haiti. It doesn’t take an expert to see his passing is above-average. I don’t care if he’s 2nd division. Playing in Spain will help increase a players passing ability. It’s the array passes, not just simply passing. Noticed his recovery speed and defensive positioning while also being part of the attack. His combo play with Nico was welcoming, since Dest, Cannon, & Yedlin haven’t shown enough combo play IMO. I was hoping GB would’ve called him in sooner. Reynolds, Duncan, & Herrera have been more involved. Shaq is very underrated! Barring injury, I look forward to seeing him have a great tourney!!
Congrats to Shaq. Easy choice and we might have to push him at wing cause we have nobody to provide passes from the wide
I don’t think there was any question that Moore was the bright spot tonight. The only ones even close were Robinson and Zimmerman who basically handled Haiti’s counter with aplomb. That is nice to see since generally it seems the US centerbacks manage to make a couple serious errors in each game. I like it that the centerbacks didn’t get themselves into trouble and resort to last-ditch defending, which makes for excitment, but I prefer the boring action of snuffing things out before they require heroic efforts.
Shaq really looked the part as did Robinson and Busio. The 3 were my bright spots on the night. Props to Zimmerman as well but he is more proven asset for the Nats.
Good game but he’s also playing in the deepest position in the pool right now. If he can consistently perform though he can compete for a spot.
Congrats, Shaq Moore! Welcome to the USMNT’s family!
Shaq has played for the USMNT before. This wasn’t even his first start
Not sure what Simon meant but this match cap tied Shaq who was eligible to play for TnT.