Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers was an unused substitute as the United States’ hopes of winning the Concacaf Nations League ended in dramatic fashion, conceding a 94th-minute winner in a shock 1-0 defeat to Panama on Thursday night.
While his international teammates were left shellshocked by Cecilio Waterman’s late strike, the Hoops centre-back avoided direct involvement in a bruising night for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, watching on from the bench as their title defence ended in gut-wrenching fashion at SoFi Stadium, California.
Carter-Vickers’ blushes were spared as the USA were denied a chance to progress to the final.
The USA will now face Canada on Sunday to see who takes home bronze, after Jesse Marsch’s men also suffered disappointment, losing 2-0 to Mexico in their semi-final.
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It will be a chance for Pochettino and Co. to salvage some pride after their heart-breaking defeat to Panama.
And Carter-Vickers will be desperate to be involved, with the last of his 18 senior caps coming at Copa America last year.
Meanwhile, Carter-Vickers’ Celtic teammate Auston Trusty had been called up for the tournament but was forced to withdraw from the squad before a ball was kicked.
Pochettino described the centre-back’s absence as being due to a “medical issue,” with reports suggesting it is linked to the calf problem that saw him miss the recent Glasgow Derby defeat to Rangers.
