Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?
Alexi Lalas addressed Johnny Cardoso's situation within the USMNT following reports of the midfielder's potential transfer from Real Betis to Atletico Madrid. The 23-year-old midfielder is reportedly set to sign for the Los Rojiblancos soon after a great season with Real Betis but has struggled to perform consistently at the international level. Lalas stated that while Cardoso may make the Atletico Madrid squad, he is still not good enough, and hasn’t shown it either, for the national team to fundamentally adapt its system to accommodate him.
“No, it would be,” Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast when asked if it would be crazy if Cardoso played La Liga and Champions League football but didn’t start for the USMNT. “Crazy on the surface, but it would absolutely be a perfect example of what you said, ‘where it's not the best players, it's the best collection of players,’ and Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT in general."
He added, “For a player like Johnny, as good as he is, he's not good enough where you fundamentally change to adapt to him. So, he's going to have to find a way to adapt to the circumstances in the national team, and the reality is that he has not. The form that he has shown with the club that has gotten him called into the national team, he's not been able to transfer it."
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Lalas questions why Cardoso has been two different players at the club and international level, and believes that if he doesn’t figure things out, then he risks being left out of the squad for the 2026 World Cup.
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“Whatever it is, when he gets on that plane or when he puts on that shirt, it goes out the window, and he better get his act together when it comes to the national team, or I don't think he's going to be on the roster next summer," he said. "And it would blow people's minds, and everyone will scream and yell. But maybe it goes back to what we were talking about when it comes to Pochettino."
WHAT ALEXI LALAS SAID
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Cardoso's potential move to Atletico Madrid would represent another significant step in his club career, potentially placing him at one of Spain's elite clubs. However, Lalas's comments highlight the ongoing disconnect between Cardoso's club performances and his impact with the national team. With World Cup 2026 approaching, the midfielder's ability to translate his La Liga form to international success will become increasingly relevant to the USMNT's tactical planning.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Cardoso is currently a part of the USMNT squad at the Gold Cup and will face Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the tournament on June 29.