For the fifth time this season, FC Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira has been named to the Major League Soccer Team of the Week following his two-goal performance in Week 30. FC Dallas defeated Western Conference-leading LAFC 2-1 on September 10.
Ferreira’s brace ties the single-season franchise record. Ferreira joins Jason Kreis (1999) and Kenny Cooper (2008) with 18 goals. Ferreira is tied for third all-time in FC Dallas history with 36 goals in 111 games. Since 2019, Ferriera has earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Week 12 times.
Ferreira’s first goal against LAFC was a bit of craftiness. Paul Arriola took advantage of LAFC defender Franco Escobar’s distraction as the player argued with referees over a called foul. Escobar spiked the ball, which was quickly collected by Arriola and immediately put into play with a quick pass to Ferreira. A precision one-touch from Ferreira put the ball into the net and tied the match at one apiece.
“We have that chemistry inside the field and outside the field,” Ferreira said of Arriola in a postgame interview with Dallas’ local broadcast crew. “Whenever we can see each other and sense each other, we know that something’s going to come. So once I saw him pick up the ball, I knew that there was gonna be a play, and then I got on the end of it.”
Ferreira’s second goal also came on a restart after a foul just outside the penalty box. Rather than cross the ball over in the hope that a teammate could put a shot on goal, Ferreira saw a weakness in the LAFC defense and exploited it with a knuckling shot to the far side of the net that earned Dallas the win.
“I was talking to the guys, and I was telling [them] that I was going to cross it, but I just wanted the keeper to move a little bit. Once I saw him move a little bit, then that’s when I took a shot,” Ferreira said after the victory.
At the beginning of the 2022 season, Ferreira told teammates and coaches that his goal for the season was to be involved in 20 scores this season. In addition to his 18 goals, Ferreira also has five assists, exceeding his own measure of success for 2022.
In addition to fighting to help FC Dallas return to the playoffs, Ferreira is hoping to generate enough buzz to secure an opportunity for a spot on the World Cup team, an opportunity buoyed as much by his ability to score as by his skills at elevating teammates.
“You have to be focused on what you can control in the team,” head coach Nico Estevez said about whether the 21-year-old Ferreira is ready for the most important pitch in the world. “If you do well, they will talk of you.
“But also, he has the confidence from the staff. He has the confidence from his teammates. He has the confidence from the U.S. men’s national team teammates because what he does is really good, and they value his quality.
“To get into the World Cup, he has to do well with us, and he knows that, and he’s showing it. And I think if he keeps doing that, he’ll be ready to do anything that is asked of him.”
Ferriera was also named to the honorary team for performances in Weeks 4,6,11, and 25. He is one of six FC Dallas players who have earned MLS Team of the Week honors this season.
