Atlético Madrid says USMNT's Cardoso set for ankle surgery - ESPN

Atlético Madrid announced Monday that United States midfielder Johnny Cardoso will undergo surgery to repair damage to his right ankle.

Cardoso suffered «a traumatic injury during training last Thursday that resulted in a high-grade sprain involving joint damage,» according to the statement from the club.

Atleti's announcement made no mention of the World Cup, and a U.S. Soccer spokesperson said 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 in one month.

ESPN reported news of the sprain to Cardoso's right ankle last week, but there was no mention of surgery at that time.

Cardoso was in contention for one of the final 26 roster spots on the U.S. men's national team, and perhaps a place in the starting lineup alongside Bournemouth's Tyler Adams.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN in March, Cardoso said he was looking 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.»

Over the weekend, U.S. teammate Sebastian Berhalter spoke of how he hoped Cardoso would recover quickly.

«He's such a nice guy, and to be honest, I hope he's there,» Berhalter said. «I hope he can recover, and he's someone that deserves to play for the national team100% and he's such a good player, and hopefully he can take it back.»

Now, it appears that Cardoso will have to wait longer for his World Cup dream to come to fruition.

Cardoso made his U.S. debut Nov. 12, 2020, in a 0-0 tie against Wales. He has gone on to make a total of 23 appearances for the national team but was not