Crew defender Steven Moreira, Cape Verde lose Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal

Orri Benatar
·2 min read
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YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast (WCMH) — Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira has spent nearly the last month playing for his country Cape Verde in a major tournament.

On Saturday afternoon, Moreira and the Blue Sharks fell to South Africa in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations in a penalty shootout. Cape Verde and the Bafana Bafana were both held scoreless in regulation and extra time, sending the match to penalties. South Africa keeper Ronwen Williams saved four of Cape Verde’s five penalties in the 2-1 shootout win.

The MLS Cup champion recently switched his international eligibility from France to his parents birth nation of Cape Verde, a small archipelago off the west coast of Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. Moreira started in four of Cape Verde’s five matches as the Blue Sharks put together its best showing at AFCON.

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Cape Verde beat Ghana and Mozambique before a draw against Egypt in the group stage. As group winners, they played Mauritania in the Round of 16, which ended as a 1-0 win and sent Cape Verde to its second AFCON quarterfinal. The semifinals of AFCON are scheduled for Wednesday as South Africa meet favorites Nigeria and the hosts the Ivory Coast take on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Moreira will now return to Columbus as he prepares for the upcoming MLS season with the Crew. The Black & Gold will begin its MLS Cup title defense on Feb. 24 when they host Atlanta United in its regular season opener at Lower.com Field. No team has won back-to-back MLS Cups in over a decade.

Moreira’s next international stint will come in June when Cape Verde resumes its matches towards qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They are in a six-team group alongside African powerhouse Cameroon and AFCON quarterfinalists Angola. The winner of the group makes the World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Cape Verde is currently in second place on a tiebreaker after two matches.

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