The U.S. men's national team will be losing a key and experienced figure as it prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers announced on Friday that centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss three to five months with an Achilles injury. The news comes after the 27-year-old played the full 90 minutes for Celtic in their 2-1 win over Sturm Graz in the Europa League.
“[Carter-Vickers] It looks like he's done his Achilles, which could take three to five months,” Rogers told sky sports Scotland.
“We're just waiting for confirmation. It's not good news. Of course, Cameron is a very important part of the team and a great centre-back for the club.”
The American is now the second injured defender of the game. Canadian defender Alistair Johnston had to be substituted in the 26th minute as the hamstring injury that had sidelined him for more than two months appeared to have worsened.
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Cameron Carter-Vickers' absence could open up opportunities for other U.S. National Team defensemen. /John Dorton/ISI Photo/USSF/Getty Images for USSF
The U.S. national team centre-back has been called up to Mauricio Pochettino's squad for friendlies against Ecuador and Australia in October. It was Carter-Vickers' first training camp since the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in March, but he didn't play a minute.
His last game for the United States was a loss to Johnston's Canada in a third-place CONCACAF Nations League tie, one of the early problems Pochettino faced as head coach of the U.S. national team.
Carter-Vickers will miss at least November's international friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay due to an Achilles tendon injury, and he is expected to return as early as January. If his recovery takes the full five months, he could be out until March, just three months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
After November, the U.S. national team won't have any official friendlies until at least the end of March, but will still be able to participate in its traditional January training camp. The next game the USMNT will play is the World Cup opener on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
As for the centre-back role, Carter-Vickers' absence could create opportunities for Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, his Celtics teammate Auston Trusty, veteran Walker Zimmerman or Bundesliga youngster Noah Banks.