USA Inventory Watch: Johnny Cardoso Helps World Cup Case, Weston McKennie Retains Scoring

[ad_1] There’s now lower than a month to go earlier than U.S. males’s nationwide crew coach Mauricio Pochettino names the People’ 26-player roster for subsequent month’s World Cup tuneups towards Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta. Only a few extra membership video games remaining for these hopefuls who're hoping to impress sufficient to make the squad — and perhaps even stick round for the principle occasion this June and July.

The stakes are getting increased. The competitors is getting fiercer. Right here’s who’s trending up and down this week.

Inventory Up Johnny Cardoso, Midfielder, Atlético Madrid Principally sidelined by accidents since one in all world soccer’s largest manufacturers dropped round $35 million to lure him from La Liga rivals Actual Betis final summer season, Cardoso picked a good time to attain his first purpose for Atléti. The New Jersey-born, Brazil-raised 24-year-old’s stunning strike versus Belgium's Membership Brugge on Wednesday stood up as the sport winner as Madrid’s different juggernaut superior to face both Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur within the UEFA Champions League spherical of 16. The draw is on Friday.

Haji Wright, Ahead, Coventry Metropolis Wright’s match-winning hat trick versus Middlesbrough on Feb. 16 has boosted the Sky Blues, who've now claimed victory in three straight matches and opened up a five-point lead over ‘Boro on the prime of England’s second-tier Championship division. The 27-year-old from Los Angeles was additionally on course on Wednesday, notching Coventry’s equalizer in a 2-1 comeback over Sheffield United.

Ricardo Pepi, Ahead, PSV When Pepi performs, Pepi scores. Six weeks after breaking his arm whereas — what else? — scoring a purpose for the Dutch champions, the El Paso, Texas product returned to motion towards Heerenveen final Saturday and wanted simply 12 minutes to notch his twelfth of the season throughout all competitions. Pepi is averaging a purpose each 83 minutes in 2025-26.

(Picture by Ben Gal/BSR Company/Getty Pictures)

Tyler Adams, Midfielder, Bournemouth Out since mid-December with a torn MCL, the 2022 World Cup captain made his first begin since then in final weekend’s scoreless go to to West Ham. Destroyer Adams, 27, went 66 minutes earlier than being changed by Scottish worldwide Ryan Christie. The New Yorker might be again in motion when the Cherries host Sunderland on Saturday.

Weston McKennie, Midfielder, Juventus Every week after Luciano Spalletti deployed McKennie at heart ahead within the first leg of Juventus’s Champions League knockout stage playoff first leg towards Galatasaray, the Italian supervisor shook issues up once more. When the second leg kicked off on Wednesday, the gregarious 27-year-old Texan was lined up at left again.

McKennie nonetheless ended up on the scoresheet once more, heading dwelling the purpose that pulled the 10-man hosts stage on mixture in Turin after shedding 5-2 in Istanbul. Sadly for him and Juve, two late strikes by the guests sealed the two-time European champs’ elimination.

Inventory Down Diego Luna, Ahead, Actual Salt Lake The diminutive Californian led the USMNT with 17 appearances final yr, registering 4 objectives and the identical variety of assists. However his 2026 MLS debut with RSL should wait till no less than this weekend; Luna, 22, missed the membership’s 1-0 loss in Vancouver on Feb. 21 due to a minor knee harm he sustained in coaching. We’ll see if Luna is ready to go when Salt Lake hosts Seattle in Saturday’s dwelling opener.

Malik Tillman, Midfielder/Ahead, Bayer Leverkusen Tillman gave the impression to be nursing an harm over the previous few weeks, because the Leverkusen No. 10’s taking part in time steadily decreased in each the Bundesliga and Champions League. On Tuesday, an ankle downside stored the 23-year-old playmaker from making the match-day squad in a scoreless tie towards Olympiacos. The German membership superior with out him and can face both Arsenal or Bayern Munich within the final 16.

(Picture by Soeren Stache/image alliance through Getty Pictures)

Yunus Musah, Midfielder, Atalanta At the same time as his nightmare season-long mortgage from AC Milan continues — Musah has been an unused sub 17 occasions and didn’t play in both leg as Atalanta superior previous Borussia Dortmund and into the Champions League spherical of 16 this week — the 2022 World Cup veteran continues to be dreaming of the 2026 occasion.

"I actually need to go, and I imagine I’ve obtained an opportunity," Musah, who’s nonetheless simply 23, just lately instructed The Athletic.

"The supervisor is aware of what I can do. I’ve been to a World Cup. I do know what it’s like. I can convey that have into the group. If I can get myself in the correct place at membership stage, every thing turns into clearer.

"There’s nonetheless time," he added. That’s true. However the clock is clearly ticking.

Christian Pulisic, Ahead, AC Milan Though he made his first begin for the Rossoneri in additional than a month, the USMNT’s most irreplaceable attacking participant’s purpose drought prolonged to an eighth straight sport within the 1-0 dwelling loss to Parma. Examine that to his kind in the beginning of the 2025-25 marketing campaign, when Pulisic had six objectives and two assists in Milan’s first eight matches.