Jesus Ferreria was born in Colombia and has already filed for U.S. citizenship, which he was eligible to do on his 18th birthday and is currently pending.
And while the FC Dallas Homegrown forward is uncertain about which country he’d ultimately like to play for, Ferreira considers his call-up for the US U-20 camp as a way to kick the tires on that possibility.
"I'm blessed to have the opportunity to go there and have a camp with them,” Ferreira told FCDallas.com in a phone interview from Colombia. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it is, how it works, how the guys are, the coaching staff and just take that experience in. I feel like the U.S. has been [pursuing me] for awhile now and they know how I play. Right now, I'm just waiting to see if they even have me in their mind, if I have the possibility to play.”
There should be a comfort level for Ferreira, with FC Dallas teammates Paxton Pomykal and Brandon Servania, who were vital in helping the U.S. qualify for the FIFA World Cup, both part of the camp set for Florida this month.
"I think it's more of where I feel more comfortable and happy,” Ferreira said of what might be the deciding factor. “Obviously I've talked to my family and heard what they think of the situation, which one they think would be better for me, but it's also just going to be me sitting down with myself and thinking about which one will make me happy.”
Ferreira has not been contacted by the Colombian federation. The CONMEBOL qualification for the U-20 World Cup will take place between Jan. 17-Feb. 10 in Chile.
“The dream of a soccer player is to play in the World Cup,” Ferreira said. “To see that the U-20 World Cup is just around the corner in a few months, it's kind of like, 'Where am I going to go? Who am I going to choose?’”
