EXCLUSIVE: The American defender spoke to GOAL about an obsessive hobby, the USMNT center-back race, life in Glasgow
Cameron Carter-Vickers can't fully explain what keeps him so drawn to LEGO, but he can confirm one thing: he is, in fact, obsessed. There are worse things to be addicted to than construction with miniature bricks, for sure, but the USMNT and Celtic center-back does acknowledge that it's become something of a problem in his home life.
He's built several LEGO stadiums: Old Trafford, the Bernabeu, Camp Nou. If a Celtic Park set ever comes out, he'll be the first one in line. Hogwarts Castle has been completed, as has the Roman Coliseum. Name a big set, and he probably has it sitting somewhere in his house. His recent passion has been Lego cars, particularly the F1 sets, one of which he finished just before jetting off to Los Angeles for the recent U.S. men's national team camp.
The building of them isn't the problem anymore, though. Now, the hardest part of all of this is figuring out where to put them once they're done.
"I've had to streamline it," he tells GOAL with a laugh. "I've probably built most of the big sets. There was a period where I was just buying everything but now they're in boxes back home just sitting there. Someday, when I have a place I'm going to be living for a while, I'll build a display board or something."
That's the situation as it stands. As for the "why" – well, there are multiple reasons. He started as a kid, maybe about six or seven, he says. His mom used to buy LEGO sets for Christmas, and it would never take him particularly long to get them built. It was his hobby away from the field, one of the things he could do to refocus even as the pressures on him ramped up. The sets have gotten grander, of course, as have those on-field pressures, but, in some ways, that's made this hobby all the more important.
"I'm a chill guy" he says. "I'm quite aware that I look quite stern or angry or annoyed at something, but most of the time. I'm pretty chill. I'm just trying to enjoy life. I just find it quite relaxing. I'll throw something on the iPad and just sit there and start building. I quite like that little sense of accomplishment you get when you finish it."
There's a metaphor here, for sure. Carter-Vickers isn't just building towards having the best LEGO collection of any footballer; he's building towards more on the pitch, too – especially with the 2026 World Cup looming.
In Scotland, he's emerged as a leader and stalwart for a trophy-winning Celtic team, one that recently stared down Bayern Munich in the Champions League and didn't blink before falling valiantly against one of the world's elite. At Celtic, though, falling valiantly is never really good enough. Winning is the expectation in Glasgow, and Carter-Vickers has done plenty of it during his time in green.
As for the USMNT, Carter-Vickers has his sights set on a second World Cup run. After missing the start of this new era with injury issues, he returned for his first camp since the Copa America, reuniting him with a familiar face in Mauricio Pochettino. It was the Argentine who gave the defender his professional debut many years ago at Tottenham. The recent Nations League run didn't go to plan for anyone on the USMNT side, Carter-Vickers included, but, again, there's something to be said about building from it.
Now, it's Pochettino who will be the one to determine whether Carter-Vickers is one of the lucky few who will represent the U.S. next summer in a home World Cup – and it's Carter-Vickers' job to keep putting together the pieces in a crowded center-back race.
Getty Images SportReuniting with Pochettino
Ironically, Carter-Vickers doesn't even remember his professional debut. He can't recall the competition or the match. "Gillingham – Carabao Cup" Wikipedia confirms. An 18-year-old Carter-Vickers started in an one-sided 5-0 win.
"I don't even remember much about that game," he says. "I do remember that – maybe it was the next one after that – was Liverpool away at Anfield, which was a big occasion for me to experience at such a young age."
He does have fond memories of the man who gave him that debut and the subsequent trial by fire at Anfield: Pochettino. The Argentine was in charge of Tottenham back then, in year three of a five-year stretch that would see the club reach new heights. Carter-Vickers, ultimately, wouldn't be a big part of that era, spending the next several years at six different Championship clubs.
Still, when he finally arrived in Los Angeles for the recent camp, jet-lagged from his flight across the Atlantic, Carter-Vickers was given a warm greeting from a crew of familiar faces. It had been a while since he'd seen Pochettino or his staff. Much has changed since that debut nearly a decade ago. Then again, though, Carter-Vickers said, so much hasn't.
"He's still the guy that I remember from Tottenham," he says. "So is his coaching staff as well. All of them are really great people, great guys, great coaches, and that's all you can really ask for as a player."
And like LEGO bricks, the coaching staff give players the pieces to develop their games.
"Mauricio and his coaching staff, they were really big at the time on player development and how they could improve a player," he said. "They gave you all the tools, and those are tools that I still use now to do things. It's how I still try to develop my game now, how I train now, how I'm still trying to improve."
Carter-Vickers has grown immensely in the past few years. If you have any doubts about that, just look at his performances in the Champions League.
AdvertisementAFPBig games, big stages
In just about every game they play in Scotland, Celtic are levels ahead of the opposition. That gives Carter-Vickers a certain part to play.
"At Celtic, a lot of games, we do have a lot of the ball," he says. "As a center-back, you're asked to handle the ball as much as possible. When it does turnover, you're defending big space most of the time because you're all the way out on the halfway line and you've got half a pitch behind you. It's about protecting space but, if something does pop up in front of you, you have to be ready to squeeze and win it back. It's a different way of defending."
When you're playing against Bayern, though, that isn't the case. Most teams hold on for dear life. Celtic didn't. They gave the German giants all they could handle.
Bayern ultimately won 3-2 on aggregate due to a heartbreaking late Alphonso Davies goal. Carter-Vickers was right there at the end. He was a split second away from clearing, but couldn't sprint past roadrunner Davies. It was a tie defined by the tightest of margins. It was also a tie that proved that Carter-Vickers and Celtic could compete at that level.
"Something I always say to myself before big games against big teams is that it's 11 human beings against 11 human beings on a pitch," he says. "You've played hundreds of times on goals that are the same size that they always are. No matter who you play against or what the competition is – I understand the importance of competitions and what they mean to fans and stuff like that – but, at the end of the day, it's just 11-vs-11 and you have to just go out there and try to do the best you can."
Patience and persistence are both key.
"We always have that belief that we can play big teams and get results," he said. "Over the last three or four years in the Champions League, we've been getting steady improvement and we've all grown in belief and confidence. Maturity, too. In previous years, we were maybe a bit too eager to get after games and we got picked off. I think now we're more patient. We know that, when we do get the ball back, we're good enough to play and keep it and hurt teams."
Carter-Vickers, since he's arrived in Glasgow, has been a key figure in that steady improvement. Over the last few years, he's established himself as a critical cog in Scotland's most finely-tuned machine.
Getty Images SportLife in Glasgow
Now in his fourth season at Celtic Park, Carter-Vickers is often recognized when he ventures out around Glasgow. For those who understand Scottish soccer, you know what that means – he's either a hero or a villain, and it all depends on whether the person he's meeting is wearing blue or green.
"It's something that's hard to explain unless you live there and experience it," Carter-Vickers. "The whole city lives and breathes football. It could be a 30-year-old male or a 70-year-old woman. They all know who you are and the results of the games. The city is crazy about football. It's hard to do anything without someone coming up and saying something but, to be fair, I haven't had too many negative experiences. Mostly, people are positive, which is nice to see!"
The move to Glasgow, in many ways, has defined Carter-Vickers as a player. For the first several years of his career, he was stuck in the loan wilderness. Sheffield United, Ipswich Town, Swansea City, Stoke City, Luton Town, Bournemouth – all were home, at least for a while. He started regularly at each, he points out, so the experiences were mostly good. But, as the old saying goes, there's no place like home, and he's found one at Celtic.
It was easy to see his skill set upon his arrival. The 27-year-old defender is built like a tank and, having survived the rough and tumble Championship, has never struggled with throwing his size around. At Celtic Park, though, he's had to round out his game.
According to FBRef, compared to all other defenders in the Big Five leagues, Champions League and Europa League, Carter-Vickers is in the 99th percentile in passes attempted and pass completion. He's in the 82nd percentile in progressive passes and 91st in progressive carries. The defensive stats are good, too: he's in the 85th percentile of aerials won and 64th percentile in tackles.
"It's a boring answer," he says with a smile, "but the only stat I truly care about is wins. How many wins can my team get? How many trophies do we have at the end of a season? Of course, there are other stats and they help you improve and see weaknesses in your game, but if we win a game, I'm happy. If we don't, I'm not happy. If I perform average and we win, I don't care. If I'm great and we lose, I'm not happy. That's how I've always been."
Those stats, though, paint a picture of a fairly complete player, one that can do a job on both sides of the ball. Complete players don't often stay in Scotland. When you play outside of the Big Five leagues, you're judged almost exclusively on a handful of games. Most aren't watching you play day in and day out. Many form opinions without much justification.
It's why you can go on social media and see Carter-Vickers described as "the best defender outside of the Big Five" and "totally overrated" in consecutive posts. It's why opinions shift so quickly depending on whether you see him on a good day or a bad one, having not witnessed any between.
"Since I've gotten older, I'm someone that just doesn't listen to any of that stuff, whether it's positive or negative," he says. "If I'm getting feedback from somebody, it's a coach or someone that watches me regularly. Even the positive stuff doesn't affect me really emotionally at this point in my career. If someone has something to say, I'd like to have a conversation with them, asking why they say that to find out more. I don't read too much into anything, good or bad."
The most important opinion now belongs to Pochettino, as Carter-Vickers is one of several central defenders fighting for a spot under the new coach.
Getty Images SportThe USMNT center-back race
There's a competition brewing at the center-back position and, at the end of it all, someone is going to be left out. There are only so many spots in a World Cup squad and only so many center-backs that can be in a team. Carter-Vickers was fortunate enough to get his number called in 2022, but that doesn't guarantee anything for 2026.
The competition, therefore, is ongoing – and intense.
"You mentioning that competition is probably the first time I've thought about competing, like really competing like that, for spots on the roster," Carter-Vickers says. "For me, it's just about making sure you do the best you can. The decision, at the end of the day, is up to the coach. As a player, you have to respect a coach's decision. As long as I've put it all out there, I'll be happy with that."
He was joined by Tim Ream, Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie for Nations League, with the former two starting the first match, a1-0 loss to Panama. Carter-Vickers and McKenzie, then, were given their chance against Canada and both had some tough moments in what ended as a 2-1 defeat.
That'll open the door for others in the pool to reenter this competition as well. Players such as Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman have track records both with the USMNT and in MLS. Youngsters such as Noahkai Banks will look to take a late-cycle leap into the picture.
And then there's Carter-Vickers' club teammate, Auston Trusty, who would have been in the team for the Nations League if not for injury. The two have formed a formidable partnership for Celtic, helping the Scottish giants remain at the top of their country's table.
"As the season has gone on, I think we've gotten there with our partnership," Carter-Vickers. "It takes time to learn how each other move and what positions the other takes up. That's something we're still trying to improve upon now. Auston, for me, has done really well since he's come in. He's hit the ground running."
His skill on the ball is extremely valuable, especially when you account for the fact that Ream's passing ability has kept him in the USMNT heading towards his 38th birthday. Under both Pochettino and prior coach Gregg Berhalter, there has been an emphasis on having center-backs be comfortable on the ball, which is something Carter-Vickers does regularly at Celtic.
He also brings size and physicality to the field, although he'll have to clean up some of the mistakes that have prevented him from ever truly breaking through as a top-tier player for the USMNT.
"I think he adds a little bit of a different dynamic to the rest of us," Ream said of Carter-Vickers. "He brings a bite. He's also good on the ball at the same time and he's played in some high-level matches over the past couple of years. He brings a lot of experience from a club standpoint, even if there's maybe not as much as some of us at the national team level. Again, he's a newish face with Mauricio here now and if he steps in, he knows his role."
Carter-Vickers may not be thinking about the competition much, but he's in it and it'll all be decided over the next 12 months.