Johnny Cardoso injury news: USMNT midfielder to miss Portugal friendly, head back to Atletico Madrid
United States men's national team midfielder Johnny Cardoso will not make a second-consecutive start for Mauricio Pochettino when the Yanks meet Portugal on Tuesday. MORE — USMNT v Belgium player ratings | Recap, video highlights Cardoso, 24, played 45 minutes against Belgium and left the game at halftime with the game level at one. Pochettino said after the game that the player had agreed to only play a half after suffering some pain.
Now we know that it's a bit more than that — Cardoso is on his way back to Atletico Madrid. MORE — How will USMNT line up versus Portugal? “The plan was for Johnny to play for 45 minutes [against Belgium], but when he finished the 45 minutes, he felt some discomfort in a part of his leg, so we decided not to force it and send him back to Madrid,” Pochettino said.
“The good thing is he’s not playing at the weekend due to a yellow card ban, which will allow him time to recover as soon as possible. ” Season on upswing for USMNT’s Johnny Cardoso at Atletico Madrid Cardoso made his USMNT debut for Gregg Berhalter in a pair of 2020 friendlies, earning a further cap in 2021 and one more in 2022 before becoming more of a regular in 2023. He has 23 caps with the Yanks but has missed time with ankle, knee, and muscular injuries.
His club career has followed a similar trajectory, as he became a mainstay for Internacional in Brazil at a young age before earning a transfer to La Liga's Real Betis in 2024. He immediately made an impact and was regarded as one of the division's best young midfielders in helping Betis to the UEFA Conference League Final last season, where they lost to Chelsea. A big money move to Atleti saw him on the field in Week 1 but an ankle injury cost him two months.
He's reestablished himself with nine La Liga appearances including seven starts since the calendar hit 2026. Cardoso started both legs of Atleti's Champions League last 16 triumph over Spurs and is primed for a strong finish to the season.