Picture this: you’ve signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe and even earned your first start. To make it even spicier, your national team coach is in the stands watching. Feeling the pressure already? Honestly, anyone would. But here’s the plot twist — the match ends in defeat. Quite a gut punch, right? Now you can imagine how Johnny Cardoso must be feeling.

The American midfielder’s first day at school didn’t exactly go as he had anticipated it would. Having arrived at Atletico de Madrid earlier this summer on a $28 million + $6 million add-on deal from Real Betis, he got his much-anticipated debut on Sunday in an away La Liga 2025-26 opener against RCD Espanyol. But sadly, things went completely south for the 23-year-old as Diego Simeone’s side endured a shocking 2-1 defeat.

While one would reckon this result affects Cardoso’s impression in his debut, that’s not the case at all! Well, after the game, renowned Spanish journalist Pascual Ruiz Arnal seemed to be quite fascinated by his performance. In a tweet, Arnal said, “Johnny Cardoso is a lung for Atlético. He never stops recovering balls, he’s the piece Simeone has been asking for for years. What a beast.”

Atlético Madrid grabbed a seemingly comfortable 1-0 lead inside the opening hour courtesy of Julián Álvarez, but the advantage slipped away after halftime. Miguel Rubio leveled the score in the 73rd minute, and Pere Milla sealed the comeback with an 84th-minute strike. Quite a comeback for the Catalonia side and a rather upset for the Madrid side.

Then again, the good thing is that Johnny Cardoso is in the good books, not just of this esteemed journalist, but with the majority of the soccer world also echoing this sentiment.

Johnny Cardoso won hearts, if not the game…

Even though Johnny Cardoso literally played only the first half of the match, it’s quite evident that the Denville, New Jersey native has eventually earned his stripes. And seeing it from a foreign journalist of the very country he is in further builds his case as a responsible player. No wonder this USMNT fan page was more than buzzing: “High praise for Johnny Cardoso in his Atletico Madrid debut 👀🇺🇸,” said the tweet.

Though the 23-year-old was handed a place in the starting XI, his outing ended at halftime when he was substituted. We won’t speculate, but that might have played a role in things going south for Los Rojiblancos. No disrespect to the players who came off the bench, of course, but if Johnny was performing well, his presence might have steered the game toward a different outcome. “I’ve watched a couple of club games with him, and he is an absolute stud. I want 80% of that player for the NT,” wrote another.

Even the USA boss, Mauricio Pochettino, was also in the RCDE Stadium, sitting in the stands alongside his son Sebastiano. His presence indicates two factors; one, it saw him return to Espanyol to relive his old days not only as a player but as a manager as well. And the other theory is, of course, to see his disciple Cardoso make his debut. We certainly hope that Poch also holds the midfielder’s debut game in high regard, as this fan has high hopes: “Just need to see this for the USMNT. He’s the cog in midfield we desperately need.”

Perhaps the Argentine tactician was assessing how he could utilize him in the Stars and Stripes setup. And if this fan has any doubts, we’d prefer to hear their special suggestion — one we believe would look remarkable for the USA as well. “A pivot of Cardoso and Adams will be glorious,” wrote one. Already looking dreamy, right?

While we have no doubts about Johnny Cardoso’s performance for Atletico Madrid, one surely has some doubts regarding his national team presence. Well, it’s not like he won’t perform well. But the fact that the former Internacional star trains and reunites with his national team very little compared to his domestic setting certainly raises questions as to how he settles for the 2026 World Cup. Well, reonwned journalist Taylor Twellman says, “If they get this version of Cardoso next summer……”