Celtic defeated Rangers on penalties in the Scottish League Cup on Sunday and can thank United States men’s national team defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Carter-Vickers, who will turn 27 on New Year’s Eve, has had his ups and downs this season. On Sunday he had one of his highlights of the season as he somehow stopped a Rangers counterattack despite being outnumbered four-to-one.
In the 51st minute Celtic trailed 1-0 and were destined to concede another as Rangers looked set to capitalize on a counterattack. Carter-Vickers was the only defender left standing and did brilliantly to stop the attack.
Cameron Carter-Vickers vs Rangers
A MASSIVE interception by Cameron Carter-Vickers!
A great chance for Rangers to double their lead goes begging #PremierSportsCup pic.twitter.com/79mKgeu4sR— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) December 15, 2024
That’s top-class work from the USMNT center back.
Celtic would go on to win 5-4 in the penalty shootout after a thrilling 3-3 draw.
It’s no secret that the center back position is one of the biggest question marks for the national team. Chris Richards has one of the two center back spots locked down for the United States, however the other one is anyone’s guess.
Tim Ream, who holds the other other starting center back spot, is 37 and likely won’t be playing in the 2026 World Cup. Who will replace Ream? Carter-Vickers is one of those candidates.
Carter-Vickers was part of the 2022 World Cup squad and played the entire 90 minutes against Iran in the group stage finale.
CCV should get more chances if we continue to see more of his form vs. Rangers and less of what took place against Club Brugge in November.
A shocking error from Cameron Carter-Vickers gives Club Brugge the lead pic.twitter.com/ZH7Wq555Om
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 27, 2024