Cameron encouraged by first international goal

Cameron Carter-Vickers netted his first international goal for the US Under-20 Men’s National Team at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Jamaica and declared: “It’s a great feeling!”

Our 17-year-old Academy centre-half lined up for the States in their tournament opener against Guatemala on Friday and made an impact at both ends, scoring his nation’s goal in their 1-1 draw.

With 58 minutes on the clock, Cameron rose highest at the back post to nod in a corner from Fulham’s Emerson Hyndman and open his international goalscoring account after a handful of appearances at both Under-17 and Under-23 levels last year.

Only a last-minute long-range volley from Guatemala’s Andy Ruiz denied the States victory, with Cameron confident in his side’s ability going into today’s (Sunday) match against Panama.

“I really enjoyed the first match, I thought we played well and obviously it was a great feeling to score,” said Cameron, who has represented us in the Barclays Under-21 and Under-18 Premier League competitions this season, in addition to the FA Youth Cup.

“I normally run to the front post when attacking corners but we’d had a couple that were over-hit, so I thought maybe this time I’d go towards the back post. I waited for the ball to come over and just attacked it, and I was obviously very pleased to see it go in.

“It’s a really good tournament that we’re involved in, the quality is very good and there’s a lot of things to learn. With us being out in Jamaica the conditions are a bit different with the heat but it’s a good learning experience.

“I think we are feeling confident as a team. We played well against Guatemala, we kept the ball well, we defended well and, although I think we could have created a few more opportunities, if we play like we did on Friday in our next games we have a very good chance of doing well at the tournament.”

Cameron is also pleased to be working with Spurs colleague Brad Friedel on the international scene. Our first team goalkeeper and Club Ambassador is part of Tab Ramos’ coaching team for the first week of the tournament, and Cameron says his input has been invaluable.

“Brad is really good. He helps me a lot and he’s helping the whole team a lot,” he added. “He’s got a lot of knowledge and anything that we as players can take from him is a real bonus.”