It’s the end of an era for FC Dallas and Jesús Ferreira.
After 15 years in Dallas, Ferreira – the club’s second all-time leading scorer – will depart to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for winger Léo Chú, up to $2.3 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) and an international roster spot.
Ferreira’s time in Dallas was special. He joined the youth ranks as an 8-year-old when his father, David, signed with the club. And even when David’s fruitful time in Dallas came to an end, Jesús stayed to pursue his dream of becoming a pro. It didn’t take long. Ferreira signed a Homegrown contract at age 15 and made his MLS debut the following season. At 16 years and 161 days old, Ferreira became FC Dallas’ youngest debutant and youngest goal scorer on the same day.
“The Ferreira family has been a big part of this club for a long time,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. “David came here in 2009 and had incredible success, winning the MVP here, taking us to the finals, truly one of the best players to have played for FC Dallas. And then when Jesús started in the youth system, I can remember Chris Hayden (FCD Academy director) saying he's going to be a star, maybe even better than his dad. Those are big, big shoes to fill, and yet I think Jesús filled them quite nicely.”
More success followed. In 2019, his first season as a starter, the 18-year-old Ferreira finished as Dallas’ top scorer. Two years later following a breakout 2021 campaign, he signed a Designated Player contract – becoming the first Homegrown DP in league history. He soon repaid FC Dallas’ faith by recording his best season to date, scoring 18 goals to tie the club’s single-season record. The achievement helped him follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming an MLS All-Star, another first in MLS history. Still just 21 at the time, Ferreira earned MLS’s Young Player of the Year award and a place in the Best XI.
Ferreira’s standout season earned him a rare honor: a trip to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with the U.S. Men’s National Team. Following a start in the first knockout round against the Netherlands, Ferreira became the first active FC Dallas player to play at a World Cup.
“Jesús represents what FC Dallas is about,” said Chief Soccer Officer André Zanotta. “He came here at a very young age and started in our youth system, then played in our Academy before making it to the first team and eventually represented FC Dallas at the World Cup. He represents what we are and part of our objectives, to develop top quality players for the U.S. National Team and to develop the game of soccer in this country. We're proud of what we have achieved with Jesús.”
So, with all his accolades and contributions over the years, why did FC Dallas feel the time was right to move on from Jesús Ferreira?
“This is something that we have been discussing with Jesús and his agents for a while,” Zanotta explained. “Jesús has been with the club a long time and he mentioned wanting to experience something new, to have a fresh start somewhere else. There was the feeling that he gave everything he could to help the club have great seasons. But he felt he needed a different place where he could have a different challenge in his career, new motivations and we understood all those things. He’s a player with tremendous value to us but we felt the deal with Seattle was the right one and we wish Jesús the best.”
Ferreira was also entering the final guaranteed year of his contract so, understanding his wish for a fresh start, FCD knew they needed to act during this offseason to avoid any further complications down the road. In return, the club receives up to $2.3 million GAM ($1 million for ’25, $500k for ’26 and $800k in incentives) as well as Léo Chú, the 24-year-old Brazilian winger who contributed seven goals and 14 assists in 46 starts for the Sounders.
“Léo is a young winger with a lot of speed and he’s had good seasons with Seattle,” Zanotta said. “When we were discussing this deal with Seattle, we felt that Léo is someone who can help us be more vertical and more aggressive since he can really hurt teams with his speed. With his contributions in the final third, I think he will be a great addition for us.”
With Ferreira vacating a Designated Player spot, FCD will be transitioning to the two DP, four U22 Player model (instead of three DPs and three U22 Players), a mechanism that gives the club an extra $2 million GAM. That, plus the added GAM from Seattle, gives Dallas extensive roster flexibility for future acqusitions. As it stands, Dallas’ two DPs are Petar Musa and Alan Velasco while its U22 players are Geovane Jesus, Enes Sali and Léo Chú.
While it’s always bittersweet saying goodbye to a player of Ferreira’s caliber and tenure, the time is right for both sides to part ways and begin anew. Ferreira will likely compete in this year’s FIFA Club World Cup with the Sounders while Dallas will continue to rebuild under new head coach Eric Quill. Armed with a host of new players and increased roster flexibility, Dallas and Quill will look to hit the ground running in 2025.
“It was time for a fresh start and we needed to make changes to reach our aspirations,” Hunt said. “I know Jesús will be successful in Seattle and I feel really good about what we got in that trade. It will allow us to make immediate impacts on the roster, especially with the allocation money that comes in to upgrade a number of positions.
“We're still not done with the transitions in the team. We'd like to add a couple more players as we go here. But I'll be forever grateful for the Ferreira family for the time that we've all spent together. I look forward to seeing them in the future, but I'm incredibly optimistic about FC Dallas in 2025.”
