USMNT's Bello on being 'starstruck' by Haaland, adjusting to the Bundesliga and his World Cup hopes

U.S. men's national team defender George Bello admitted he was left "starstruck" when facing Erling Haaland last weekend as the 20-year-old full back adjusts to life in the Bundesliga.

Bello made his first start since moving to Arminia Bielefeld in January as they faced Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion.

Arminia ultimately lost the match 2-0, but Bello says it was fantastic to face off with Haaland as well as USMNT teammate Gio Reyna on a big stage.

The match was Bello's first start, having moved to the Bundesliga from Atlanta United just before the transfer deadline.

He's appeared in five matches so far, but last weekend's match was a different experience as he took on Haaland and Reyna.

"I've been looking forward to just playing my bros like Gio, Joe [Scally], [Ricardo] Pepi, Chris Richards and all them," Bello said.

"And then there's always people like Haaland. I saw him that day I was kind of starstruck. Obviously there's Lewandowski and all those kind of guys, those top, top, top guys.

"I'm just blessed to be here because I'd play with these guys on FIFA and stuff and I'm playing against them, so this is crazy. I'm really happy."

Having previously starred as a homegrown player for Atlanta United, Bello has spent the last few months adjusting to life in Germany, on and off the field.

He has already come to enjoy life in Bielefeld, a slower-paced city that he says allows him to relax a bit between games.

But he's still adjusting off the field as he has yet to truly explore German life due to the quick turnarounds between games.

On the field, he says, he's also still adjusting to a league that's much faster than MLS.

"The pace, obviously," he said. "Football is universal, so I feel like in any league, you still