Brazilian midfielder Johnny Cardoso has remained a regular starter for Internacional this spring and the American continued his good goalscoring form on Sunday to earn SBI Americans Abroad Player of the Week honors.
Cardoso scored the winning goal in Internacional’s 2-0 Serie A victory over Bahia, giving him two goals in his last three appearances. The 21-year-old has scored two goals in his last three appearances, while also helping Internacional move one step away from advancing in the Copa Libertadores competition.
Cardoso started and played 72 minutes in a 2-1 Libertadores win over Metropolitanos on Thursday before logging 90 minutes Sunday in a 2-0 victory over Bahia. The New Jersey native has made 22 appearances in all competitions this season and will be pressing for more minutes ahead of a potential busy June schedule.
Cardoso will not only be fighting to make the U.S. men’s national team roster for the Concacaf Nations League semifinals, but also retain his spot as Internacional has Copa do Brasil, Serie A, and Libertadores action.
Here is a look at some of the other top Americans Abroad performers from the past week:
Gio Reyna
Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna ended his Bundesliga season on a high note despite the club failing to capture the league title.
Reyna registered two assists off the bench in Dortmund’s 2-2 comeback draw with Mainz on Saturday. The 20-year-old set up Raphael Guerreiro and Niklas Sule in his 26-minute performance for Dortmund, keeping the Black and Yellow alive in the title race until the final moments.
Reyna finished with seven goals and four assists in all competitions this season.
Mark McKenzie
Belgian side Genk has one final league match left and still remains alive for the league title.
USMNT defender Mark McKenzie helped Genk defeat Club Brugge 3-1 on Sunday, sitting just one point behind Royal Antwerp and Union St. Gilloise heading into the final matchday next weekend. McKenzie won three duels, made five clearances, and two interceptions as Genk snapped a three-match winless run in the Championship round.
Julian Green
2. Bundesliga side Greuther Furth ended its league season on a high note by defeating league champions Darmstadt 4-0 on home soil.
Julian Green scored his third goal in his last three appearances in the victory, giving the American midfielder seven goals for the entire campaign. The 27-year-old finished the season with 28 appearances, continuing to be a key leader for Furth heading into the summer.
Reggie Cannon
Portuguese side Boavista also ended its league campaign on a positive note, while Reggie Cannon followed suit individually.
Cannon played 90 minutes in his 30th league appearance of the campaign, leading all players in duels won (6) and tackles completed (4). He also made five recoveries and logged 90 minutes as he capped off his latest performance at centerback.
Cannon is already on the reported radar of Trabzonspor and could be on the radars of other European clubs after a strong season.
What did you think of the top Americans Abroad performances this past week? Who impressed you the most? Who didn’t make the list that you feel deserved a mention?
Share your thoughts below.
Real Betis in LA Liga they said have started a summer deal with Cardoso, don’t know if it’s true.
Apparently his agents were in Spain. Had been hearing Monza in Serie A. Betis’s midfield is getting older I could see him fitting in at least off the bench.
Crazy to think Gio had more goals this season than in his previous 57 Bundesliga appearances.
Yeah. Good production year for him. Hopefully next year he will be more than just a bit part player.
Cardoso continues to look like a player destined for the Italian Serie A. He is going from strength to strength. My opinion was that Cardoso should have been on the WC team.
He hasn’t stood out with the national team IMO, but you figure that the Brazilian league is maybe the best league outside of Europe, and he is doing well there. He certainly deserves more looks.
I agree with you on Cardoso with the NT, even with the U-23’s he looked mediocre, but I think there is a player there and he can grow into a quality depth player for the USMNT
Hasn’t had many appearances for the US to stand out. He has grown physically and mentally the past couple years. I have watched him a few times. Yes he isn’t going to do much spectacular things but he reads the game well and a has a pretty good passing range.
I think if Wes and Luca hadn’t healed in time Johnny likely would have made it but not played much. He needs more experience to really contribute on that stage. It would be nice to bring him to the GC and get 4 or 5 matches out of him.
JR – You gotta figure we will, especially with Tyler Adams injured. Between him and Tanner Tessman – who I very much hope we also call up and take a good long look at – I think it’s at least possible we’ll find some long-term answers at the 6 spot for us to either back up or eventually even supplant Tyler. We’re thin there. Of our MLS guys, Kellyn Acosta is probably one of the ones I can grudgingly live with and he does have some decent qualities, but you’re not going to beat Brazil or France with him either. (Honestly, you won’t with Tyler either.)
Hopefully one of them shows out.
you’d think he at least gets a call up for the GC roster, which will probably be mostly mls, lower european league and our south american/mexican league contingent with some of the “A” teamers who need better club situations sprinkled in.