Early years
Born in Abuja, Nigeria, Bello moved with his family to Douglasville, Georgia, when he was a year old. [2] During his early career, he played for Southern Soccer Academy, a youth soccer club affiliated with English club Chelsea, and the Alpharetta Ambush, where he played for five years. [2] While playing at Alpharetta Ambush, he played with future Atlanta United academy teammate Zyen Jones. [2]
After spending five years with the Alpharetta Ambush, Bello moved to the academy side at Atlanta United FC, a new expansion club for Major League Soccer. [2] His former coach, Tony Annan, now at Atlanta United as their academy director, was the one to reach out to Bello to join his side. [2]
In 2017, a couple of months after signing a professional contract with Atlanta United FC, Bello helped Atlanta United's under-16 side win the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U16 Championship. [3] His performance during the season saw him named 2016–17 East Conference U15/16 Player of the Year and also included in the East Conference U15/16 Best XI. [3]
Club career
Atlanta United
On June 17, 2017, Bello, alongside teammates Lagos Kunga and Patrick Okonkwo, was signed by Atlanta United FC to a homegrown player contract which would start in 2018. [4] He made his professional debut on March 31, 2018, for Atlanta United 2, the club's reserve team, against Charlotte Independence. He started and played the whole match in a 2–2 draw. [5]
On September 2, 2018, Bello made his debut for the Atlanta United FC senior side in their Major League Soccer match against D.C. United. He came on as a 76th-minute substitute for Héctor Villalba as Atlanta United FC were defeated 3–1. [6] He scored his first professional goal a month later on October 6 against the New England Revolution. He scored his team's opening goal in the 17th minute of a 2–1 Atlanta United FC victory. [7] During the 2018 MLS Playoffs, Bello featured for Atlanta United FC twice from the bench but did not play as Atlanta United FC won the 2018 MLS Cup. [8]
The next season, Bello made his international club debut for Atlanta United FC in the CONCACAF Champions League against Herediano on February 21. He started as a left-wide back as Atlanta United FC were defeated 3–1. [9] In May 2019, it was confirmed that he would miss two to three months of the season with an injury to his right adductor. [10] Returning in August, Bello went on to only play 12 matches with Atlanta United 2 in the USL Championship and none with Atlanta United FC during the 2019 season. [11]
International career
Bello has represented the United States at both the under-15 and under-17 level. He was part of the under-15 squad that won the Torneo Delle Nazioni in 2017. The United States won every match in which he started. [15] On October 10, 2019, he was named in the under-17 squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. [16]
In January 2021, Bello was called into the United States national team for their friendly against Trinidad and Tobago. [17] He made his debut in the match on January 31, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute in the 7–0 victory. [18] On July 17, 2021, he was named by head coach Gregg Berhalter into the 23-man squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. [19] He started in two matches for the United States as they made it into the final against Mexico. Bello was named as a starter for the match and played 65 minutes as the United States won 1–0 after extra-time. [20]
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