The Major League Soccer 2022 season is officially in the books. Though FC Dallas fell short of the ultimate goal of winning a championship, the team exhibited significant growth this season from younger players and saw several additions that made major contributions toward the team’s return to playoff action.
Of the many bright spots this season, Jesus Ferreira established himself as a star in the league and one of the most important players on the field at any moment of a game. The team recently recognized the young player and son of former FC Dallas star David Ferreira as the Offensive Player of the Year.
Ferreira scored a career-high 18 goals in 2022, tying the franchise record for goals in a season with Kenny Cooper (18 in 2008) and Jason Kreis (18 in 1999). Ferreira played in 35 games this season and earned six assists in addition to his team-leading scoring efforts.
The team also acknowledged Ferreira as the Young Player of the Year. Ferreira, who turns 22 on December 24, set numerous records this season for his accomplishments at such a young age. The 18 goals he scored are the most by an FC Dallas player age 21 or younger, and he is the third-highest scorer under 22 by any MLS player in history.
Ferreira was born in Colombia but immigrated to the Dallas area when he was 10 to join his father, who was playing for FC Dallas. He joined the FC Dallas Academy in 2013 and got his first professional start when he was only 16 years old in a game against Real Salt Lake.
Ferreira was also selected as the MLS Young Player of the Year, earning nearly 60% of the media vote and over 23% of the team vote. Ferreira is the second consecutive FC Dallas player to earn the accolade after Ricardo Pepi was named YPOY in 2021. Pepi currently plays with FC Groningen on loan from FC Augsburg in Bundesliga, the top-tier German soccer league.
Adding to his impressive haul of awards and recognition this season, Ferreira was named to the MLS Best XI, an honorary team meant to commemorate the best eleven players in the league. He is the first FC Dallas player named to the team since Matt Hodges and Mauro Diaz were named in 2016.
Named the MLS Player of the Week in Week 4 after scoring a hat trick that week, Ferreira was also named to the Team of the Week four times during the season.
Ferreira was called up to the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) for international competition this season and is currently fighting for a roster spot in advance of the USMNT competition that begins in February. Ferreira scored five goals for the USMNT during the international break this season.
FC Dallas has contracted Ferreira through the 2025 season as one of the team’s stand-out homegrown players. His contributions as a leader of the team helped earn FC Dallas the biggest year-over-year reversal in competition points in the team’s history.