FRISCO — There’s already a Ferreira in the FC Dallas record books. Jesus Ferreira’s father David won the MLS MVP award while he was with the team in 2010.
Yet after a game-changing two-goal performance in a 2-1 win over LAFC on Saturday night, Jesus has made sure to carve out his own place in the club’s lore.
His 18 goals this season match Jason Kreis in 1999 and Kenny Cooper in 2008. When FCD fans think of Ferreira, they may first think of Jesus.
“I’ve always said I want to make my own history at the club. My dad made history here, and now it’s my turn,” he said. “I want people to remember me for my records and the stuff I accomplished here with the team. I’m excited I can join that list of great guys and great number 9s. Hopefully in the next couple games I can beat it.”
Before the season, Ferreira set a target to end the year with 20 goals + assists. Now, it looks like he could smash that target simply with goals, going along with the five assists he’s already logged this season.
It’s been a huge boost for an FC Dallas team that was uncertain exactly how they’d replace the production lost when it sold Ricardo Pepi to FC Augsburg. Well, the fan base and media analysts were uncertain. First-year manager Nico Estévez had a plan, moving Ferreira from a playmaking role to the forward slot where he’d lined up in his academy days with the club and early on in his professional career.
Not only has it worked to the tune of 18 goals, it also has Ferreira in frame to make the United States national team’s roster for this winter’s World Cup and perhaps even start in the global tournament.
After Saturday’s win, Estévez joked he wished he could claim he knew just how good it would’ve gone with Ferreira as the starter up top. But he shared with technical director Andre Zanotta and FCD owners Dan Hunt and Clark Hunt before the season that he felt the solution at forward already was in the locker room.
“Since the first day I came here and met with Andre, with Dan and Clark to plan the squad, I always saw Jesus as our nine,” Estévez said. “From the start, I thought he was our nine because he could help us grow in a different way than he had. It was just a question of time for him to adapt to the position.”
In many ways, it wasn’t as much an adaptation as relearning what he already knew from his time as a forward. But with qualities aside from finishing and positioning, Ferreira also has added plenty more than scoring to the FCD attack.
As his understanding of the game continues to evolve, Ferreira is able to react to the state of the game and what the defense is showing to try and cause problems and either set up his teammates or find those opportunities of his own.
“I just think he’s relentless. He’s so smart. You don’t notice how smart he is until you play with him. He’s such a smart striker,” midfielder Sebastian Lletget said. “He can drop low, he can play high, can play between the lines, he can do it all. I’m really, really happy for him.”
Ferreira has three matches to get one more goal and move into sole possession of the FCD record for most goals in a season and also will hope to add some in the playoffs.
For a 21-year-old guy who has only known life at FCD, it would be a special moment to get number 19.
“It would be amazing, a dream come true. This is the team I grew up watching, I grew up playing for,” Ferreira said. “To be in the history books as an all-time scorer for the season, it would mean a lot. I love the club, I want to be part of the history and I’m working hard to get those goals.”
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