This summer, the FIFA World Cup will start on American soil. Three American players are currently in Spain, with two of them in La Liga and one in the Segunda Division, all fighting to get on that list as Mauricio Pochettino announced his 26-man USMNT squad on May 26. The three situations vary greatly based on the level of the club, their playing time, and global presence, yet all three are playing in Spanish football at the most critical point in the history of the national team.
Atlético Madrid, Johnny Cardoso
In July 2025, Johnny Cardoso became an Atlético Madrid player after leaving Real Betis in a five-year deal estimated at a cost of €30 million, which ESPN and Fabrizio Romano confirmed. The 24-year-old midfielder, who played 30 times in all competitions during his first season at Atlético, was born in Denville, New Jersey, and raised in Brazil since infancy, according to Goal.com and SBI Soccer.
On May 5, Cardoso played in the second leg of the semi-final of the Champions League against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Atlético later confirmed days later that he had suffered a high-grade injury involving the joint in ankle sprain during training, and surgery was necessary, which meant the end of his season. This was independently confirmed by ESPN, Goal.com, and Yahoo Sports as his fifth campaign injury, and he would miss the four remaining La Liga matches of the club. Goal.com stated that his involvement in the World Cup is now seriously in question, with Pochettino set to announce his team publicly in New York on May 26.
ESPN reported that Cardoso suffered another injury to the ankle in September 2025, and a knee bruise in December; slowly coming back into form, playing 23 matches since the beginning of the 2026 calendar year. According to ESPN, he also played 45 minutes in an international friendly of the USMNT against Belgium in late March before departing the international camp with leg discomfort, and skipping the following Portugal match. His season, which had already displayed the signs of improvement in its later part, was cut short before he could make the full advantage of them.
Alex Freeman, Villarreal
On January 29, 2026, Alex Freeman left Orlando City to join Villarreal. The transfer fee of up to $7 million and a contract of 6 years till 2032 was officially announced by the official website of Orlando City. The 21-year-old right back was born in Baltimore and brought up in Fort Lauderdale, the son of an old NFL wide receiver, Antonio Freeman, the Super Bowl XXXI winner on the Green Bay Packers team.
During his groundbreaking 2025 MLS year, Freeman started 34 times out of 42 games, scored four goals, and provided seven assists. According to the official statement of Orlando City, he is awarded the MLS Young Player of the Month as well as the first player to be included in the MLS Best XI. He played 13 USMNT matches abroad, scoring twice in a 5-1 friendly win over Uruguay in November, according to ESPN.
With six substitute appearances after his January transfer, Freeman debuted in the La Liga on April 26 in a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo, according to Fox Sports and Wikipedia. He is said to have won all five one-on-one duels he fought in the match, according to Wikipedia. In the resultant aftermath, Villarreal was publicly praised by his coaching staff. According to Fox Sports, prior to that opening appearance, Freeman had already appeared seven times in the club in total, and the right-back competition had been alleviated after the first-choice options ahead of Freeman in the club suffered injuries.
Konrad de la Fuente, Ceuta
Transfermarkt confirmed the loan of Konrad de la Fuente to Cabildo, in Spanish, Segunda División (AD Ceuta) by the Swiss club Lausanne-Sport. Wikipedia states that he was born in Miami, July 16, 2001, of Haitian parents of Dominican descent, and moved to Barcelona at the age of ten when his father accepted a job at the Haitian consulate in Barcelona. He was spotted playing with local youth side CF Damm, joining FC Barcelona at their La Masia academy in 2013, and ultimately spending a few years there before becoming a permanent part of Marseille in 2021.
According to FBref, de la Fuente has played 26 times in the league of Segunda Division, scoring one goal in his debut season with Ceuta. According to Transfermarkt, he has a total of three senior USMNT caps and has not been named to any of the USMNT squads in 2026. His loan at Ceuta ends at the end of June 2026, and at that time, he goes back to Lausanne-Sport, where he is contracted until June 2027, according to Transfermarkt.
The three players imply a proven presence of American football in Spanish football in 2025-26. Cardoso played in the Champions League and had to end his campaign due to an injury. Freeman earned a confirmed starting position with a club in the LaLiga, in a battle in the Champions League. De la Fuente has 26 league appearances in his second-division loan. The announcement of the USMNT squad on May 26 will indicate how many, none, or all of these three players will be on the plane to a home World Cup.
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