Shaq Moore

Shaq Moore

Personal information
Full name	Shaquell Kwame Moore
Date of birth	(1996-11-02) November 2, 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth	Powder Springs, Georgia, United States
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Nashville SC
Number	18
Youth career
	IMG Academy
2014	FC Dallas
2014–2015	Huracán
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2016	Huracán	6	(0)
2016	Oviedo B	18	(2)
2016–2019	Levante B	61	(4)
2017–2019	Levante	6	(0)
2018	→ Reus (loan)	9	(0)
2019–2022	Tenerife	90	(1)
2022–	Nashville SC	48	(0)
International career‡
2011–2013	United States U17	40	(2)
2013	United States U18	1	(0)
2014–2015	United States U20	17	(0)
2018–	United States	18	(1)
Medal record Representing  United States Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 23, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of January 20, 2024

He spent his early professional career in Spain, playing six La Liga games for Levante and 99 in Segunda División for Reus and Tenerife. In 2022, he signed for Nashville SC for a fee of $2 million.

Moore made his debut for the United States national team in 2018 and was part of their team that won the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Early career

Moore was born in Powder Springs, Georgia, and was an IMG Academy alumnus during his youth. In April 2014, he started training with Major League Soccer team FC Dallas.

In August 2014, Moore moved to Spain and went on to train with three teams in the city of Valencia: Valencia CF, Levante UD, and Huracán Valencia CF, being assigned to the latter's Juvenil A squad, as the club waited for an international transfer certificate. On May 9, 2015, he finally signed a contract with Huracán.

Moore made his senior debut for the club on August 22, 2015, coming on as a second-half substitute for Javi Soria in a 1–1 Segunda División B home draw against CD Atlético Baleares. The following January 7, after being rarely used, he signed with Real Oviedo Vetusta.

Levante

On August 30, 2016, Moore moved to another reserve team, Atlético Levante UD in the third division.

The following year, he was included in a first-team matchday for the first time on September 30, 2017, for a La Liga match against Deportivo Alavés. Moore made his main squad debut on October 26, 2017, starting in a 2–0 away win against Girona FC for the season's Copa del Rey. Three days later he made his La Liga debut, replacing Ivi in a 2–2 draw at SD Eibar. Following success in the previous two fixtures, Moore started his first game for Levante on November 18, 2017, in a 2–0 away defeat of UD Las Palmas. He became only the fourth American to play in La Liga after Kasey Keller, Jozy Altidore, and Oguchi Onyewu. He finished the campaign with eight first-team appearances.

On July 13, 2018, Moore agreed to a season-long loan deal with Segunda División side CF Reus Deportiu, but on December 28, he was one of five players who left the team due to unpaid wages.

Tenerife

On July 24, 2019, Moore signed a three-year contract with CD Tenerife also in the second division. The following May, his deal was extended until 2024.

Moore played 101 total games for the team from the Canary Islands, scoring once to open a 4–2 win at Extremadura UD on February 8, 2020. In his final match on June 19, 2022, the club lost 3–1 at home to Girona FC in the playoff final.

Nashville SC

On July 19, 2022, Moore signed with Major League Soccer side Nashville SC for a reported fee of $2 million USD. He made his debut 11 days later in a 1–1 home draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, playing for 63 minutes.

After rejecting Trinidad and Tobago at the under-15 level, Moore represented the United States at the under-17, under-18, and under-20 levels. He captained the under-17s in 2012–13, including at the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, and appeared with the under-20s at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Moore received his first senior team call-up for a friendly against Paraguay on March 18, 2018. He made his full international debut on June 2, as a 70th-minute substitute for DeAndre Yedlin in a 1–2 friendly loss away to the Republic of Ireland.

Uncapped since November 2018, Moore was called up by coach Gregg Berhalter for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On July 18 in the final group game against Canada, he scored his first international goal and the only one of the American win; it came after 20 seconds, breaking Clint Dempsey's all-time record for the team's fastest goal by 14 seconds. He played all of his team's games as they won the title, though his appearance in the final against Mexico was off the bench as Reggie Cannon had recovered from injury.

On November 9, 2022, Moore was named by Berhalter to the final U.S. squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Shaq Moore is the son of former Trinidad and Tobago soccer player Wendell Moore. His older brother CJ played soccer for the Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in 2012. Through his mother, he is the nephew of Richard Goddard, who played as a goalkeeper for the Caribbean nation.

International

As of match played January 20, 2024

International goals

Scores and results list Moore's goal tally first.

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	July 18, 2021	Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City, United States	Canada	1–0	1–0	2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2021

Individual

• CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2021