FRISCO, Texas - Homegrown forward Jesús Ferreira became the first FC Dallas player to ever play in a FIFA World Cup match by starting the United States' Round of 16 game against the Netherlands on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The 21-year-old Ferreira earned a place in head coach Gregg Berhalter's 26-man squad after a breakout campaign that saw him tie FC Dallas' all-time single-season scoring record with 18 goals. Although he was an unused substitute in the USMNT's three group stage games, Ferreira was entrusted with a starting role in the opening knockout match that saw the U.S. fall 3-1 to the Netherlands. Ferreira's outing lasted 45 minutes before being withdrawn at halftime for midfielder Gio Reyna.
Ferreira also became the first FC Dallas player ever named to a World Cup roster when Berhalter revealed his squad on Nov. 9. Although he was the only current FCD player on the U.S. team, Ferreira was joined by fellow FC Dallas Academy products Kellyn Acosta and Weston McKennie, as well as former Dallas SuperDraft pick Walker Zimmerman.
Former Dallas players Chad Deering and Shaka Hislop nearly paved the way for Ferreira in representing FC Dallas/Dallas Burn at the World Cup. Deering, who played for the Dallas Burn 163 times over six seasons, joined the club in July of 1998 after competing for the United States at the World Cup in France. Hislop, similarly, joined FC Dallas in the summer of 2006 directly after representing Trinidad & Tobago in its first World Cup in Germany.
