Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers has earned praise from American sports writers tonight after starring in the United States’ win over Iran at the 2022 World Cup.
Carter-Vickers was a surprise selection in Gregg Berhalter’s starting eleven for the 1-0 victory, coming in for Walker Zimmerman who had started previous games against Wales and England.
The Bhoys star didn’t do his chances of featuring more often any harm at all and he could even start against the Netherlands in the last 16 after helping to keep the clean sheet and playing well in possession.
Celtic and American fans were left impressed with his overall performance and his efforts didn’t go unnoticed in the immediate reactions of the American sports media either.
Aaron West of CBS stated that Carter-Vickers had been “immense” in dealing with the Iranian forward line, physically standing up to talents such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun and Porto’s Mehdi Taremi.
ESPN reporter Todd Archer described the Celtic defender’s display as “outstanding” while college football writer Josh McCuiston said he loved what Carter-Vickers had managed to do in the match.
Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre was also impressed, concluding that Carter-Vickers was “much more of an enforcer” than Zimmerman and praised Berhalter for making the switch.
Boston sports journalist Scott McLaughlin said it was a “terrific” match for both Carter-Vickers and defensive partner Tim Ream while Washington Post reporter Thomas Floyd said the duo had a “perfect game”, which he felt was something few people would have predicted.
It’s fantastic to see Carter-Vickers get this kind of recognition. This kind of chatter could help him earn many more caps in an American shirt. Hopefully, that starts on Saturday against the Dutch.
His progress with Celtic over the last 18 months has been impressive, from a loan signing to a stand-in captain. More exposure to high-intensity football on the international scene on occasions such as these can only be a benefit to the Hoops.
In other news, Celtic announce Pittodrie ticket allocation for return of Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys.
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