Jeff CarlisleMay 11, 2026, 02:46 PM ETCloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.Multiple Authors
Atlético Madrid announced Monday that United States midfielder Johnny Cardoso will undergo surgery to repair damage to his right ankle.
According to the statement from the club, Cardoso suffered “a traumatic injury during training last Thursday that resulted in a high-grade sprain involving joint damage.”
Atleti’s announcement made no mention of the World Cup, and a U.S. Soccer spokesperson said that the Federation was in the process of obtaining additional information. But the upcoming surgery is almost certain to prevent Cardoso from taking part in the tournament, which starts one month from today.
ESPN reported news of the sprain to Cardoso’s right ankle on April 30, but there was no mention of surgery at that time.
Cardoso was in contention for one of the final 26 roster spots, and perhaps a spot in the starting lineup alongside Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams.
In an exclusive interview with ESPN in March, Cardoso said he looked at the World Cup as “an opportunity to show everybody, not just for me, but my teammates as well, what we can do, what we can show to the world, that we have a great team to achieve great goals.”
Last weekend, U.S. teammate Sebastian Berhalter spoke of how he hoped Cardoso would recover quickly.
Cardoso made his U.S. debut on Nov. 12, 2020 in a 0-0 tie against Wales. He’s gone on to make a total of 23 appearances for the USMNT, but was not part of the squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The U.S. opens its World Cup campaign on June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California. Mauricio Pochettino ‘s team also plays Australia and Turkey in Group D.
Jeff CarlisleMay 11, 2026, 02:46 PM ETCloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.Multiple Authors
Now it looks like Cardoso will have to wait for his World Cup dream to come to fruition.
CloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.