Usmnt Defender Suffers Devastating Injury Ahead Of 2026 Fifa World Cup

The U.S. men's nationalist squad will beryllium without 1 of its cardinal knowledgeable figures successful nan build-up to nan 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On Friday, Celtic head Brendan Rodgers announced that halfway backmost Cameron Carter-Vickers will beryllium retired betwixt 3 and 5 months pinch an Achilles injury. The news comes aft nan 27-year-old played nan afloat 90 minutes for Celtic successful a 2–1 triumph complete Sturm Graz successful nan Europa League. 

“[Carter-Vickers] looks for illustration he’s done his Achilles, which could beryllium anyplace betwixt 3 and 5 months,” Rodgers told Sky Sports Scotland.

“We conscionable await confirmation of that. It’s not awesome news. Cameron’s been a very important portion of nan squad, of course, and been a awesome halfway half for nan club.”

The American is now nan 2nd defender to suffer an wounded successful nan match; Canadian fullback Alistair Johnston had to beryllium removed successful nan 26th infinitesimal aft seemingly reaggravating nan hamstring wounded that kept him retired for complete 2 months prior.

Cameron Carter-Vickers’s absence could free up opportunities for different USMNT defenders. / John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF

The USMNT halfway backmost had been called up to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for nan October model friendlies against Ecuador and Australia. It was Carter-Vickers’s first campy since March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinals, but he did not log a azygous minute.

The past lucifer he played for nan USMNT was a nonaccomplishment to Johnston’s Canada successful nan Concacaf Nations League third-place game, 1 of nan early hiccups of Pochettino’s tenure arsenic USMNT manager. 

With nan Achilles injury, Carter-Vickers will miss astatine slightest November’s world friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay, pinch his return slated for January astatine nan earliest. Should his betterment return nan afloat five-month timeline, he could beryllium retired until March, conscionable 3 months earlier nan 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After November, nan USMNT won’t person immoderate charismatic friends matches until astatine slightest precocious March, but it could still return portion successful a accepted January camp. The adjacent competitory lucifer nan USMNT will play is its World Cup opener connected June 12 astatine Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium. 

As for nan halfway backmost role, Carter-Vickers’s absence could carve retired opportunities for Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, his Celtic teammate Auston Trusty, seasoned Walker Zimmerman aliases Bundesliga youngster Noahkai Banks.

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