Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers and his national teammates are preparing for a do-or-die Copa America clash against Uruguay in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
The United States started off the group with a comfortable victory over Bolivia; however, a shock 2-1 defeat to Panama means their hopes of progression hang in the balance on matchday three.
Marcelo Bielsa’s table-topping Uruguay won’t be an easy outfit to overcome — they have taken maximum points against Bolivia and Panama — though the Stars and Stripes could have a leg-up due to the fact he is suspended for the tie by Conmebol [Guardian].
Nevertheless, the permutations loom large for the United States as they approach a fixture that will decide whether they progress to the quarter-finals.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and the United States prepare for battle
As the host nation, the United States don’t want to suffer the ignominy of being eliminated in the group phase; however, they know they are up against a formidable Uruguay outfit that have scored eight times in their previous two matches, conceding once.
Panama are expected to defeat Bolivia, who have shipped seven and failed to score any in their consecutive defeats at the tournament, raising the stakes for Carter-Vickers and his teammates once they take to the field at the Arrowhead Stadium.
In all likelihood, they need to win to qualify for the last eight. They may also need to better Panama’s score (if they emerge victorious) to ensure progression.
Head-to-head record doesn’t come into play at Copa America until the fourth tiebreaker. If the two sides in question cannot be separated in Group C, Gregg Berhalter’s men are afforded some leeway in that respect.
Either way, exiting the competition as the host nation is a tag nobody wants to have attached. Hopefully, Carter-Vickers and the United States can book a date in the quarter-finals, which are scheduled to be played this weekend.
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