Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty will now have their feet up after a gruelling 2024/25 campaign for Celtic.
The American duo were regulars under Brendan Rodgers and helped Celtic secure the double, as they narrowly missed out on the domestic clean sweep after losing the Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen.
Added to that, the UEFA Champions League was revamped, with two extra league phase fixtures added, as the Bhoys showcased progression after losing in the play-offs to Bayern Munich.
But, whilst the waters are calm in Glasgow, because Celtic are continuing to dominate, the same can’t be said for what is happening at the international level for Carter-Vickers and Trusty.
- READ MORE: Cameron Carter-Vickers liked by Leeds United and Sunderland as Celtic transfer exit ‘danger real’
Trouble for Mauricio Pochettino as the USMNT manager?
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed USMNT boss (United States Men’s National Team) last September, and life isn’t going as well as he would have liked ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
A very poor Nations League campaign, in which Carter-Vickers was a part of, and he didn’t receive rave reviews, followed by two heavy friendly losses to Turkey and Switzerland, and now they are taking part in the Gold Cup.
Legendary USMNT player Donovan isn’t impressed by what he is seeing and questioned if Pochettino would know his ’26-man roster’ for the 2026 World Cup if he had to name it tomorrow.
Speaking to Fox News, Donovan claimed that, those who played in the Nations League, ‘failed to make an impact’, and now there is huge pressure on a much-changed squad for the Gold Cup – Carter-Vickers and Trusty haven’t been selected.
“He has no idea to this day,” said Donovan. “I know he has been in the job for a short time.
“But he has no idea, to this day, what his best XI is. He has no idea, if we were starting the World Cup tomorrow, he wouldn’t know what his 26-man roster is.
“In the Nations League, they struggled to make an impact. A lot of players struggled to show that they deserve to be there, so now he said, ‘okay, in these two friendlies, I am going to play some different line-ups. Some younger guys.’.
“That provided no clarity, so in this Gold Cup, he absolutely needs to find clarity.”
Why have Celtic duo Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty been left out of the USMNT Gold Cup squad?
The issue for Celtic’s defensive duo here is that they have been left out of Pochettino’s Gold Cup squad, and he has made some serious changes.
In the case of star man Christian Pulisic, he asked to be left out, and there has been a lot of uproar around that.
When Pochettino was asked about Carter-Vickers’ omission, he cited ‘football decisions’, as quoted by NBC.
Added to that, Trusty has only played 11 minutes under Pochettino, so these aren’t good signs for him either ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
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