Cameron Carter-Vickers faces the devastating prospect of missing the 2026 World Cup after being ruled out for the remainder of Celtic's season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The 27-year-old United States international sustained the serious injury during Celtic's Europa League victory over Sturm Graz last month, bringing his campaign to a premature and painful conclusion.
Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill delivered the grim news, confirming that Carter-Vickers won't feature again this season and may not even return to grass training until April. When O'Neill asked the defender about his World Cup prospects, Carter-Vickers candidly admitted his participation looked highly unlikely.
The timing couldn't be worse for the USMNT center-back, who was beginning to work his way back into Mauricio Pochettino's plans. Although he hadn't been a regular fixture since Pochettino took charge in late 2024, Carter-Vickers was called up for October's friendlies against Ecuador and Australia. Pochettino's recent tactical shift to a back-three formation had opened potential opportunities for the defender to stake his claim.
Carter-Vickers becomes the first member of the USMNT player pool to face missing the home World Cup through injury, with just over six months remaining until the tournament begins. The Celtic defender was part of the 2022 World Cup squad, playing the full 90 minutes in the crucial group stage victory over Iran. His absence forces Pochettino to rely on other defensive options, including Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson and fellow Celtic teammate Auston Trusty as the Americans prepare for their home tournament.
After Reports Stated New Contract Talks, the Defender Was Subbed Off Injured Against Wolves
Chris Richards is set to enter contract negotiations with Crystal Palace as he approaches the final two years of his current deal. The 25-year-old United States international has established himself as a crucial component of the Eagles' defensive line alongside Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix, prompting the club to initiate discussions about extending his stay at Selhurst Park.
Since joining Palace from Bayern Munich in 2022 for approximately £10 million, Richards has demonstrated remarkable versatility, featuring at center-back, right-back and even defensive midfield. His unique ability to deliver dangerous long throws has also made him a valuable asset during set-pieces. Last season, he made 32 appearances and played every minute of Palace's FA Cup campaign, which culminated in victory over Manchester City in the final.
However, Richards provided a brief scare during Saturday's 2-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux when he required medical attention in the 83rd minute. The defender went down while Palace prepared a double substitution and was subsequently replaced by Jaydee Canvot for the remaining minutes.
Manager Oliver Glasner quickly dismissed concerns about the injury, attributing it to cramping rather than anything more serious. Richards had been managing a calf issue and was omitted from Mauricio Pochettino's recent USMNT squad to preserve his fitness. Glasner jokingly suggested the extended rest during the international break might have contributed to the cramping, expressing confidence that Richards would be available for Thursday's Europa League fixture against Strasbourg.
Playmaker Added an Assist to go with His Goal in Leverkusen's Victory
Malik Tillman delivered a career-defining performance as Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg, establishing himself as a key figure in his new club's push up the Bundesliga standings. The 23-year-old American international recorded both a goal and an assist, becoming the fifth American in history to do so in a single Bundesliga match.
Tillman's impact was immediate and decisive. Just nine minutes into the match, he had a chance to score on Alejandro Grimaldo's low cross, but barely helped it into Jonas Hofmann's path, allowing the German midfielder to side-foot home the opening goal. The assist showcased Tillman's intelligent positioning and awareness in the attacking third.
The former Bayern Munich academy product sealed his impressive showing in the 33rd minute when Patrik Schick's smart flick near midfield found him in a promising position on the break. Tillman displayed composure beyond his years, calmly sending Wolfsburg goalkeeper Kamil Grabara the wrong way to make it 3-0 before halftime. The goal marked his third of the season for Leverkusen, bringing his tally to three goals and one assist in ten appearances since his summer transfer from PSV Eindhoven.
Between Tillman's contributions, Edmond Tapsoba had doubled Leverkusen's advantage in the 24th minute, heading home Aleix Garcia's pinpoint cross. Despite Denis Vavro pulling one back for the hosts in the 57th minute from Maximilian Arnold's corner, Wolfsburg couldn't mount a serious comeback.
Tillman completed 22-of-24 (92 percent) of his passes in 64 minutes on the pitch, demonstrating a well-rounded performance that extended beyond his direct goal involvements. The victory moved Leverkusen into third place and served as a timely reminder to USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino of Tillman's quality ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The Winger Marked His Ligue 1 Return With a Stunning Strike
Tim Weah marked his return to Ligue 1 action with a stunning goal as Marseille demolished Nice 5-1 on Friday, propelling Roberto De Zerbi's side to the top of the table with 28 points. The American international's strike was a memorable moment in what proved to be a dominant display from the visitors.
Weah's goal came in emphatic fashion when he collected the ball off the bounce on the right side of Nice's penalty area and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot into the top-left corner, marking his second goal of the campaign across all competitions. The 25-year-old, operating at right back, completed the full 90 minutes after missing almost a month with a thigh injury.
His contribution was part of a complete team performance that saw Marseille convert five of their eleven shots on target with ruthless efficiency. While Mason Greenwood stole the headlines with a brace that extended his remarkable form to eight goals in five league games, Weah's strike represented the fourth goal in a relentless attacking display. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Greenwood doubled the advantage before halftime and added a third early in the second half.
Although Mohamed Ali-Cho pulled back a consolation goal for Nice after the hour mark, Igor Paixao added a fifth to complete the rout, with Aubameyang providing the assist in another impressive individual performance. The victory extended Marseille's remarkable run to just one defeat in their last 10 league matches, establishing them as genuine title contenders, currently two points back of PSG at the top. Their 33 goals make them Ligue 1's most potent attacking force.
On This Day in 1980, Moyers' Double in a Rain-Soaked Victory Restored Pride But Couldn't Salvage a Failed Qualifying Campaign
The mathematics of elimination are merciless. By the time the United States took the field against Mexico on November 23, 1980, the dream of reaching Spain for the 1982 World Cup had already been extinguished. Canada's draw with Mexico at Azteca Stadium a week earlier had sealed the Americans' fate, rendering their final match a footnote to a disappointing campaign. Yet on a rain-drenched evening at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, before a sparse crowd of 2,126 die-hard supporters, the United States would accomplish something that had eluded American soccer for nearly half a century.
The road to elimination had been paved with frustration and missed opportunities. When Canada arrived in Fort Lauderdale on October 25 for the opening match, Coach Walt Chyzowych had deliberately chosen Florida's Lockhart Stadium's grass surface over traditional California venues where Mexican supporters dominated the stands. Against Canada, the Americans controlled proceedings completely, dominating possession and outshooting their northern neighbors 14-9. Yet dogged Canadian defending and goalkeeper Tino Lettieri's heroics frustrated every American attack. Ricky Davis saw a point-blank effort stopped by Lettieri in the 53rd minute, while Mike Stojanovic struck the crossbar for Canada. The scoreless draw left the Americans with a single point and mounting frustration.
The return fixture in Vancouver on November 1 exposed deeper cracks in the American foundation. Canada dominated the first half with tactical discipline that the Americans couldn't match. Robert Iarusci headed home from a Gerry Gray free kick in the 24th minute, then Branko Segota converted a controversial penalty—Ty Keough was judged to have fouled Stojanovic—to give Canada a 2-0 halftime advantage. Greg Villa's late header from a Davis corner kick provided only consolation in a 2-1 defeat.
The reasons for the disjointed performance became subjects of bitter debate. Chyzowych believed the team remained divided along the fault lines of the players' strike vote taken during their European tour. Some players spoke of a West Coast-East Coast split, with native-born Americans convinced that Chyzowych favored naturalized citizens. Whatever the cause, the Americans were passive and tentative when they needed to be decisive.
The journey to Mexico City felt ominous from the outset. The team arrived only a day before the match. Their promised bus to the training facility never materialized—they took taxis instead. When they finally reached the field, the gates were locked until Angelo DiBernardo's Spanish explanations gained them entry. They trained for exactly twenty minutes before darkness fell. The lights remained off.
What transpired the following afternoon at Azteca Stadium, before 80,000 roaring Mexican supporters, bordered on humiliation. Mexico struck in the 24th minute, then delivered a devastating three-goal blitz in ten minutes before halftime. After the interval, they added a fifth. Greg Makowski was sent off. Davis converted a penalty kick in the 76th minute—becoming just the eighth American to score against Mexico in Mexico—but the 5-1 final score represented a comprehensive dismantling. Seven days later, Canada's draw at Azteca confirmed what everyone already knew: the United States was eliminated.
Which made the rematch in Fort Lauderdale a peculiar affair. With nothing to play for but pride, the Americans took the field shorthanded. Steve Pecher and Makowski were suspended. Keough remained injured. Greg Villa and several others had been recalled to their clubs. Some 2,000 empty seats testified to public indifference toward a dead-rubber fixture. Yet something shifted in the American preparation—perhaps the weight of the humiliation in Mexico City, perhaps the desire to salvage something from the wreckage.
Chyzowych deployed Davis as sweeper, with Boris Bandov and Larry Hulcer as fullbacks and Colin Fowles as stopper—a makeshift backline necessitated by suspensions and injuries. In the attack, Steve Moyers partnered with Njego Pesa, while Mark Liveric joined DiBernardo and Ringo Cantillo in midfield. Arnie Mausser, who had endured the Azteca nightmare, stood between the posts. The rain began falling before kickoff, turning the grass surface treacherous.
The breakthrough arrived in the 31st minute. Hulcer, the St. Louis native, delivered a precise free kick into the penalty area. Moyers, positioned perfectly, rose above the Mexican defense and powered a header past Ignacio Rodríguez. The sparse crowd erupted as the Americans celebrated their first goal on home soil in the qualifying campaign. The lead lasted nine minutes. Hugo Sánchez, the Mexican legend only weeks away from his transfer to Atlético Madrid, struck a free kick that Mausser initially saved. But the rebound fell kindly for Sánchez, who headed the ball into the net in the 40th minute to level the score at halftime.
The second half unfolded in driving rain, making ball control hazardous. Then, in the 65th minute, fortune smiled on the Americans. A Mexican defender, attempting to clear danger, misplayed the ball 15 yards from his own goal. The loose ball fell directly to Moyers, who required no invitation. His right-footed shot rocketed toward the corner, giving Rodríguez no chance. The California Surf forward had struck twice, and the United States led 2-1.
Three minutes later, the match descended into ugliness. A confrontation between Mexico's Mario Trejo and the United States' Pesa escalated beyond words. Guatemalan referee Marco Antonio García Regalado brandished red cards for both players, reducing each team to 10 men. Mexico pressed desperately for an equalizer in the final quarter-hour, but the reshuffled American defense held firm. Mausser commanded his penalty area with authority, atoning for the Azteca disaster. When the final whistle sounded, the Americans had accomplished what no United States team had managed since 1934: defeated Mexico in a World Cup qualifying match.
"We wanted this game," Moyers declared afterward. "We worked for each other and gave an all-out effort. We didn't do that in our other games. Tonight we jelled. We showed that we were one of the better teams tonight." The victory meant different things to different constituencies. For the players, it represented validation that they had the ability to compete, even if organizational dysfunction had prevented consistent performance. For Chyzowych, it was bittersweet vindication. The following day, New York Cosmos president Ahmet Ertegun and captain Giorgio Chinaglia called a press conference demanding the coach's resignation. For Davis and his teammates, the win was also a defense of their embattled coach.
But Chyzowych accepted the victory with clear eyes about American soccer's institutional failures. In a post-match critique that resonated far beyond Lockhart Stadium's empty seats, he issued a stark warning. "The whole administration needs to be revamped," he declared. "The authoritative body which runs soccer in the country, in theory, must start doing so in practice. The USSF must start laying down mandates and establishing policies in every league in the United States. If it doesn't do that, we will remain behind the eight-ball. We've got to start asserting ourselves, and we need full-time professionals. They can't do this as a sideline and expect the coaches to work miracles."
The Mexico victory would be Chyzowych's final match as United States head coach. He resigned shortly thereafter, shifting his focus to youth development while assistant Bob Gansler assumed caretaker duties. The national team wouldn't play another match for 16 months. For Mexico, the defeat was an embarrassment so profound that the match tape—broadcast by Televisa—reportedly vanished into the federation archives. Leonardo Cuéllar, the Mexican midfielder, would refuse decades later to discuss the game with documentary filmmakers, his silence speaking volumes about wounds that never healed.
The Americans had achieved something historic on that rain-soaked November evening. Moyers' two goals had ended a 46-year winless streak against their southern rivals, providing a moment of triumph amid a failed qualifying campaign. It was a victory without consequences, but also a victory with meaning—proof that American players could compete, that the gap wasn't insurmountable, that better days might eventually arrive if the sport's infrastructure could match its players' passion.
They called it Dos a Uno—over two decades before Dos a Cero would become American soccer's rallying cry. For the 2,126 faithful who braved the rain at Lockhart Stadium, and for the players who finally conquered their demons, it was a milestone worth celebrating even as the World Cup sailed on without them. The United States had beaten Mexico. In the Dark Ages of American soccer, that alone felt like victory enough.
