Johnny Cardoso’s name is back where Atlético fans expect it—on the matchday squad sheet.
He’s set to be in consideration for Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Barcelona, after missing last week’s first leg due to fitness issues. It’s not like he’s suddenly locked into everything—he’s been in and out since joining from Real Betis last summer—but for this game, he’s at least available.
Cardoso has been building minutes again in the club’s recent run. Before the March international break, he started Atlético’s last two matches. Those were big ones, too: a Champions League clash against Tottenham Hotspur and a LaLiga showdown with Real Madrid. Then the picture got a little murkier. He played only 45 minutes of the USMNT friendly against Belgium on March 28, and afterwards it was reported he was dealing with muscle fatigue.
The follow-up came quickly. Cardoso was released before the U.S.’ second March friendly against Portugal and returned to Madrid, where it was later confirmed he had suffered a thigh muscle injury. That setback was enough to keep him out of LaLiga defeats to Barcelona and Sevilla, and also out of the first leg of the quarterfinal—basically the kind of timing that makes a player feel like he missed the swing of the whole tie.
Now, though, the American is back in the squad for the return leg, and the question becomes how Simeone plans to use him. The competition in central midfield is crowded: Cardoso will contend with Koke, Marcos Llorente, Rodri Mendoza and Obed Vargas for a starting spot. The fact that he’s among the options matters, even if it doesn’t automatically mean he starts. Actually… even knowing Simeone, it could swing either way depending on what Atlético want to prioritize—pressing, control, or maybe just that calm “one more pass” midfield feel.
There’s also the smaller career arc behind the headlines. Born in New Jersey to Brazilian parents, Cardoso moved to Brazil when he was just 3 months old. Even with that South American upbringing, he still started representing the USMNT at the under-23 level in 2019, then made his senior debut in a friendly against Wales in November 2020. Since then, he’s earned 23 caps.
For Tuesday’s game, Atlético’s situation isn’t simple at the back either. Diego Simeone has a selection headache: defensive trio José María Giménez, David Hancko and Marc Pubill are all unavailable. Midfielder Pablo Barrios also remains absent. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jan Oblak is back in contention after missing the last seven games with a muscle injury. Standing on the edge of it all, you can almost hear the stadium buzz building—sharp, electric, like someone has just cracked open a bag of pretzels outside the gates—then you remember, this is Champions League, and the margin for comfort disappears fast. Cardoso might be cleared, but the bigger story is whether Atlético can piece together the right lineup without losing the thread of the tie.
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