Chris Richards may be coming back into the U.S. men’s national team squad on Tuesday but midfielder Johnny Cardoso is on the way out.
Cardoso has departed USMNT camp due to a leg injury, head coach Mauricio Pochettino confirmed Monday. The American midfielder is on his way back to his club Atletico Madrid to undergo further evaluation and begin his injury rehabilitation.
“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.”
Cardoso started and played 45 minutes on Saturday in a 5-2 home friendly loss to Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The in-form midfielder was substituted off at halftime as part of a pre-planned decision by the coaching staff.
Cardoso’s start marked his first international appearance since featuring in last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. He’s earned 23 caps to date for the USMNT.
A New Jersey native, Cardoso entered camp in strong form after starting 12 matches for Atletico in 2026. He helped Diego Simeone’s squad outlast Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, setting up an April quarterfinal series with Spanish rivals Barcelona.
However, due to his recent injury, Cardoso could be sidelined for the resumption of club play this weekend. Atletico hosts Barcelona in La Liga action on Saturday before traveling to the Camp Nou four days later for the start of their two-legged UCL series.
As for the USMNT, they will aim to rebound from Saturday’s defeat and hand Portugal its second loss in its last four matches.