Jesus Ferreira endured a difficult 2020 season with FC Dallas, though you wouldn’t have known that watching him on Sunday with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Ferreira scored twice and registered three assists on his way to an SBI USMNT Man of the Match performance in Sunday’s 7-0 romp over Trinidad & Tobago in Orlando, Florida.
Ferreira helped open the scoring just two minutes into the match when he set up Jonathan Lewis with a clear look in front of goal for the first of three assists on the night. Ferreira had a hand in the USMNT’s first four goals, including his own excellent finish in the ninth minute.
Assists by Ferreira on a pair of Paul Arriola goals gave the Americans a 4-0 halftime lead. Ferreira capped his stellar night with a second goal in the 62nd minute, just two minutes before he was substituted.
Ferreira beat out Jonathan Lewis, Paul Arriola, and Sam Vines for MOTM honors.
What did you think of Ferreira’s performance? Who was your pick for Man of the Match?
Share your thoughts below.
I thought he reflected a positive attribute of the starting forward line in general, unselfishness, a willing to pull the defender or keeper out of position and then set someone else up for the finisher. I think if you watched the bench guys they got more selfish, less productive. Like I am going to try to dribble 3 people and shoot through a mess of bodies. When the starters would drag the crowd and then leave into space.
FWIW those were good qualities because if most of these forwards see the field going forward it will be coming off the bench trying to set up the meal tickets as opposed to creating for themselves.
Dallas’s biggest weakness last season was scoring goals. I know young players can improve in fits and starts, but you have to wonder how GB was able to see the talent and invite him when he started only 13 games in 2020 and scored a single goal. True he had 29 starts and 8 goals in 2019 but his recent club performance was not spectacular.
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Did GB make a good decision or was he just lucky?
GB has incumbency bias. Ferreira had 8 goals in 2019 and played well last January. To me we should look more at players who show well when given chances, less paper obsession. We read way too much into club form. Once you scout someone and they play well at the senior NT level it’s silly to send them away because how club is going. I think the club obsession is a snobbery thing where we want to be able to say x plays at y club, and go down a list. That is nice on paper. What you want are the ones who convert it for the USA. We would already have known that from last winter. And he came back despite his stats because he was an incumbent, inside the tent already. GB’s big blind spot is inside vs outside of the tent. Once you are “in” he is slow to run you off. Which is bad for Roldan but in this case useful.
1. Ferreira had an illness last Summer that slowed him at the start of the season.
2. Luchi plays him as a #10 or on the wing, most of his production in 2019 was a CF
3. TnT was so bad hard to read much into it
He was good with the ball, composed in the box, quite unselfish making the extra pass for tap-in goals instead of shooting, pretty impressive overall. Weak competition though. He’s earned a look against a better team.
To me the January games are inherently, who stands out for the “JV” or in an “open tryout” kind of situations. You still have to come back and perform for the varsity. It’s always grain of salt but if you don’t shine here there’s no chance you’ll help later.
Ferreira, I believe had an illness right before MLS is Back and never really got in a groove. It will be interesting to see how FCD use him, he played more as a 10 last year.