Following impressive seasons on either side of Glasgow’s Old Firm, USMNT players Cameron Carter-Vickers and Malik Tillman were both named to the Team of the Year, announced today by the Professional Footballers’ Association of Scotland.
The two Americans both had standout seasons in the Scottish Premiership, helping to push their respective teams to their usual top two finish.
While Carter-Vickers and Celtic will end up easily winning the league, likely with a double-digit edge over their city rivals, Tillman did take a huge step forward with a strong season-long loan from parent club FC Bayern, even if his future past this season is less than certain.
The 11 players honored are predictably dominated by representatives of the big two clubs, with Tillman joined by Rangers captain James Tavernier, and Carter-Vickers one of seven Celtic representatives.
For the English-born center back with 12 USMNT caps, this is his second straight season on the list, and could be a signal that a summer of transfer speculation could be ahead, despite having signed a long-term contract with the Hoops less than one year ago.
In 29 total contests played before ending his season early for a minor surgery, he played a total of 2610 minutes, while helping Celtic to a remarkable record of 31 wins compared to two draws and only one loss. In the 34 games they played so far, they have only given up a paltry total of 25 goals, largely due to the solid play of their American World Cup veteran.
In Tillman’s first full season as a top-flight starter, he also put up impressive numbers, with 28 appearances and a total of 14 goal contributions – ten scored on his own alongside four assists.
While the ‘Gers will view this season as a disappointment, with no trophies won and likely more than a ten-point gap to their rivals, his overall solid play against nearly all of the teams in the division has made him an admitted target of the team.
It remains to be seen whether a deal can be struck between Rangers and Bayern, or if the four-times capped USMNT player even prefers to remain in Glasgow, however he has certainly guaranteed a spot in a top-flight team in Europe following the summer.
Even if the rest of the season is effectively dead-rubber, the two teams will once again face off in their umpteenth derby of the season on Saturday, for some small bit of bragging rights. However, both Tillman and Carter-Vickers will be missing from their teams’ lineups due to injuries.
