One day after Folarin Balogun opted to represent the United States in international play over England, a different member of the USMNT striker pool added to his account.
FC Dallas's Jesús Ferreira followed up his late heroics against Austin FC from last Saturday with a brace Wednesday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC during a 2-1 win at Toyota Stadium. That put the 2022 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire honoree at eight goals on the season through 13 matches, placing him in a three-way tie for second in the 2023 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race.
And while Balogun's highly-anticipated announcement raised excitement among USMNT fans – and for good reason, considering he's scored 19 goals in 34 matches while on loan with Ligue 1 side Reims from Arsenal – Ferreira continues to show his own body of work can't be forgotten as competition for the USMNT's No. 9 spot is sure to heat up with the Concacaf Nations League and Concacaf Gold Cup looming this summer.
"I’m just setting personal goals for myself and trying to better myself for the team," Ferreira said after the match. "I’m finding that rhythm I had again, getting into pockets and spaces in the box. My teammates are trusting me to be the guy to score goals, and I’m happy we did a good job today."
Ferreira's play is part of the reason why FCD currently sit third in the Western Conference table on 21 points, just two points behind Seattle Sounders FC for first place. They're now unbeaten in their last three matches (2W-0L-1D) ahead of a second Texas rivalry meeting in eight days, this time against Houston Dynamo FC on Saturday (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
The Dallas homegrown's brace on Wednesday was a milestone for several reasons: Not only did it mark the eighth time in his career he scored multiple goals in a match – the second-highest total in club history – it also gave him 44 goals for his career, two behind Kenny Cooper for the all-time team record.
This comes amid renewed speculation the 22-year-old is bound for a move to Europe, with Ferreira denying rumors of an offer from Serie A champion Napoli. His immediate focus is his club's climb up the table as Dallas hope to build on the success of a 2022 campaign that saw them finish third and reach the Western Conference Semifinals.
"At the end of the day we’re a team trying to win games, make the playoffs, and win the MLS Cup," Ferreira said. "We all know that when someone is down we have to support them and continue on and push the next person. The level tonight was there, the guys were hungry and we showed that we’re here to get points."
