USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso gets European move to Real Betis and

U.S. men’s national team midfielder Johnny Cardoso officially joined La Liga side Real Betis on Wednesday as the race for a spot on Gregg Berhalter’s Copa America roster heats up. Cardoso arrives in Betis from Brazil’s Internacional, where he was a regular on the first team for the last four years after playing in the club’s academy. ESPN previously reported that Betis would pay an initial transfer fee of $6.3 million and that Internacional will collect 20% of the fee from any future Cardoso transfer.

The midfielder signed a deal through the 2028-29 season with Betis, who currently sit seventh in La Liga and are in the mix for European spots. Cardoso will have the opportunity to play in European competition this season, too — Betis dropped down to the UEFA Europa Conference League after finishing third in their Europa League group last fall and will face Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb in the knockout round playoffs in February.

The move comes as the 22-year-old works his way into the USMNT player pool at a crucial time for the national team. Berhalter and company have used much of the last year to begin preparing for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the U.S. and will count June’s Copa America…