FRISCO, Texas - He's still just 22 but Jesús Ferreira now stands alone as FC Dallas' second all-time top scoring, passing club legend Kenny Cooper with his 47th and 48th regular season goals.
“It feels amazing. It’s something that I’ve been trying to achieve," Ferreira said. "I grew up in this club and played for this club since I was 9, so being in the history books is amazing. I’m happy that my teammates put me in that history book.”
Ferreira’s journey to the FC Dallas first team is well known by now. He joined the club’s youth ranks as a 9-year-old when his father, David, signed for Dallas in 2009. After a trophy-laden career in the FCD Academy, Ferreira earned a pro contract in 2016 before becoming the youngest player to score a goal in FCD history the following year—aged just 16 years and 161 days. That was just the beginning.
The 2019 season saw Ferreira come into his own. Incoming head coach Luchi Gonzalez, who was formerly the club’s Academy director, put his faith in his former pupil and made the now 18-year-old Ferreira his starting striker. Ferreira repaid the trust and finished as FC Dallas’ top scorer with eight goals. Another record. Ferreira was now the club’s youngest-ever top scorer in a single season.
Ferreira enjoyed a historic 2022 campaign as the club’s first Homegrown Designated Player. With 10 goals over the first four months of the season, the 21-year-old was named to his first MLS All-Star game just 12 years after his father earned the same honor. In doing so, they became the first father-son All-Star duo in MLS history. Ferreira's final tally of 18 goals tied Cooper and Jason Kreis' record for most goals in a single season. His achievements earned him a trio of league honors: MLS Young Player of the Year, MLS Best XI selection and #1 in MLS's 22 Under 22 list, a ranking of the league's best players under the age of 22.
It's unquestionably one of the best individual seasons in club history and it earned him a trip to the World Cup with the United States.
Ferreira has reached another milestone: his 48-career MLS goals. He becomes FC Dallas’ second all-time top scorer, surpassing Dallas native and club legend, Kenny Cooper.
“It’s incredible,” Cooper said. “Time flies, it feels like yesterday I was on the pitch with his dad. It’s really a joy to watch his son achieve all that he's achieving. And just to know his path. He's been a part of this FC Dallas family for such a long time. To see him walking in his father's footsteps out on that pitch is amazing. But to see him making his own history is just really special.
“To do it at only 22 years of age while wearing the captain’s armband, that’s amazing.”
Forty-eight league goals at 22 years old is remarkable. Should he remain in Dallas long term, there’s little doubt Ferreira will surpass the great Jason Kreis’ 91 goals to become the club’s greatest goal scorer.
“I hope he doubles and triples the record, and it looks like he's going to,” Cooper said. “It looks like he's gonna score every time he touches the ball in front of the goal. I just can't wait to watch the rest of his journey here.
“I think that's the mark of a great goal scorer, just having that confidence and knowing where to put it. His feet are incredible. His mind is incredible. His instincts, too. He’s just he's a joy to watch.”
