American Carter-Vickers makes debut for Tottenham

American defender Cameron Carter-Vickers has made his debut for Tottenham.

The 18-year-old, a son of former Denver Nuggets guard Howard Carter, played the entire match at central defender in a 5-0 win over third-tier Gilligham on Wednesday night in the third round of the English League Cup.

"It's a dream come true, obviously," Carter-Vickers said in a video interview with Spurs TV posted on the team website. "I've been working hard for all these years to get to this stage and play and to win 5-0 is a dream."

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino gave debuts to four players.

"I got a little bit nervous," Carter-Vickers said. "I think that helped. It keeps me on my toes, and I think it's good for me."

Carter-Vickers signed with Tottenham's academy at age 11 and has played for the U.S. under-18, under-20 and under-23 teams.

"I got to keep my head down, keep working on the training ground," he said.

His father helped LSU reach the 1981 NCAA Final Four and played for Denver in 1983-84 and Dallas in 1984.

Another American prospect, 19-year-old midfielder Gedion Zelalem, made his first appearance for Arsenal in nearly two years when he entered in the 83rd minute of Tuesday's 4-0 League Cup win at Nottingham Forest.

Zelalem made his Gunners debut as a 71st-minute substitute in an FA Cup win over Coventry City on Jan. 24, 2014, and played the second half of a Champions League group stage victory at Galatasaray on Dec. 9, 2014. He spent last season on loan to Glasgow Rangers, then in Scotland's second tier.