Johnny Cardoso has been making an immediate impact at Real Betis since signing for them last month from Brazil’s Internacional— a club he joined when he was just 12. 

The midfielder spent the first game on the bench, but he’s been a starter since, playing full 90 minutes in last four games including today’s Europa Conference League clash against Dinamo Zagreb.

He was even given Man of the Match award in the game against Cádiz last Friday.

The only game where he didn’t complete full 90 minutes was his first game, which came against Barcelona. Johnny was still impressive in that game and the score was 2-2 when he came off in the 73rd minute. Betis went on to lose 4-2 later.

Betis’ manager Manuel Pellegrini, who’s managed some of the best players in the world, has given Johnny a heavy praise recently.

"He played a good game and as the games go by he will improve his level, because he is an important player for us and he has adapted very well to the game,” Pellegrini said about Johnny.

He also revealed that the club had been tracking the 22-year-old for a while before finally signing him this year. Johnny was also linked with moves to Italy and Portugal.

The player himself seems to be adapting very well to life in Spain and enjoying it. He actually cried during his Betis presentation.

“I’m achieving the childhood dream of mine,” Johnny said after signing for the club. “From the first conversation, I had a feeling that this would be my home.”

Johnny, like most players that grew up in South America, has another dream— to play in the Copa América. With these impressive performances, he has a chance to not only be in the USMNT’s squad this summer but to also be a starter.

His chances as a starter seem be very high especially given Tyler Adams’ injury record recently, with Gregg Berhalter admitting he’s unsure whether the Bournemouth midfielder will be first enough to make the squad.

Berhalter has few options to replace Adams in the starting eleven, but the obvious choice would be to put Johnny in his place. Lennard Maloney has also been impressing in the Bundesliga but it’s hard to see him slot into the starting eleven by this summer considering he’s still brand new to the team.

Johnny isn’t the only American midfielder shining in La Liga, Luca De La Torre has already been doing well this season.

It’s great to see USMNT players thriving in La Liga— one of the best leagues in the world with so many technical players. Hopefully, this trend will continue for years to come.