Just Who is Cameron Carter-Vickers?
If we’re being honest about these things, it’s probably fair to say that the majority of British football fans still feel somewhat dubious about the merits of the game as it is played in the United States. Ask the average fan and they’ll probably mention:
A: The fact that they call it ‘soccer’
B: It’s mainly played by schoolgirls isn’t it?
C: The MLS is where ageing players pitch up when they want some easier games and one last big payday.
The performance of the national team at the 2014 World Cup – a heroic extra time loss to Belgium in the round of 16 – may have gone some of the way toward altering this perception (particularly when compared to the manner in which England habitually stumble out of tournaments), but the most effective form of propaganda is likely to take the form of the emergence of more players like Cameron Carter-Vickers. The 18 year old Spurs defender was actually born in Southend, but has US citizenship and has been picked for the US under 18 and under 23 teams, as well as making an appearance for the Under 20 US team at the 2015 FIFA Under 20 World Cup. What marks Carter-Vickers out somewhat from US players who have appeared for UK clubs in the past is the fact that he has come up through the ranks at Spurs, having first caught their attention at the tender age of 10 and being signed up to the academy at 11.
Who?
Even committed Spurs fans could be forgiven for not knowing very much about Carter-Vickers at the moment, but this could be about to change, following his debut performance during the team’s 5-0 League Cup victory over Gillingham. Playing at centre back, the 18 year old combined power with poise and was particularly impressive when dealing with any aerial threat which Gillingham presented, whilst even going close to scoring a goal himself as early as the second minute. Of course, the calibre of opposition has to be taken into account and the fact that Spurs were tipped to romp home, but it was a genuinely promising debut from a player who is extremely highly regarded by the coaching staff at Spurs. The response from fans on social media was equally positive, with tweets calling for Carter-Vickers to be started in the rest of the League Cup and FA Cup games, and comments such as ‘man mountain’ being posted.
Although promising debut performances can sometimes be misleading, one thing which isn’t in doubt is the commitment which Spurs in general and manager Mauricio Pochettino in particular have demonstrated when it comes to bringing through young players. This was demonstrated by the team fielded for the match against Gillingham, which, besides Carter-Vickers, included another two teenagers who had come up through the academy and were making their debut appearances – Marcus Edwards and Anton Walkes. In addition to this trio, Harry Winks made his first start for the club, whilst Joshua Onomah scored his first Spurs goal.
Promising
Speaking after the match, Carter-Vickers highlighted the degree to which players who had risen through the ranks together had relished the chance to make an impact in the first team:
“It’s fantastic. I think you can see when Josh scored that myself and Harry Winks were the first to run over and congratulate him. It was good for him as well to see someone you’ve played with for years score a goal at White Hart Lane. We’ve been together for a while now, since we were 10 or 11. We know each other really well. You can look all through the academy, there’s a lot of talent all through the ages. There’s more to come, especially with this manager. If you train well and hard, you’ll get your opportunity.”
Although first team chances may be limited in the immediate future by the presence of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, who are expected to be reinstated for the next match, a Champions league tie against CFK Moscow, it will be intriguing to see whether his debut was impressive enough to see Carter-Vickers picked for the next League Cup tie, against the somewhat more daunting attacking might of Liverpool.
Whatever decision Pochettino makes for that particular match, there’s little doubt that Carter-Vickers has demonstrated the ability to step into the role when called upon to do so, and will get plenty of chances to live up to his managers billing as “one of the best centre-backs in England in the future”.
