Jesus Ferreira helped the U.S. men’s national team extend its unbeaten run to five matches over Concacaf rivals Mexico on Wednesday night, and although Ferreira was used as both a No. 9 and No. 10 at times during the match, interim head coach Anthony Hudson is still unsure about his long-term role.
Ferreira started and played 90 minutes, scoring the tying goal in Wednesday’s 1-1 Continental Clasico draw vs. Mexico in Glendale, Arizona. After being held in check for most of the match, the FC Dallas forward snuck free in the Mexico box to tap home Jordan Morris’ cross in the 82nd minute.
The 22-year-old worked just underneath Brandon Vazquez for most of the match before shifting to the No. 9 position following Vazquez’s substitution in the 60th minute. Ferreira has played both roles with FC Dallas over the past year and that contributed to his role for the USMNT on Wednesday night.
“Yeah, it’s interesting,” said Hudson when asked about Ferreira’s role. “I think we’ve seen him with his club play as a 10, and he’s done very well. This is obviously a big step up playing at international level. The game’s a lot quicker, there’s less space, you’re under pressure quicker.
“I’ll be honest, I don’t know,” Hudson added about Ferreira’s best position for the USMNT. “We’re still searching and one thing is, one of his biggest qualities is he’s a very intelligent player, smart player, good at linking the play, and he’s good around the box. I was really glad he got the goal tonight because he’s been trying really hard for us. He’s been working hard…But yeah, he is an intelligent player, he’s a different profile of striker/attacking midfielder.”
Ferreira now has scored eight goals in 18 USMNT caps, celebrating his first tally on Wednesday night since netting four goals against Grenada in Concacaf Nations League play last June. Ferreira has continued to be impactful in MLS with FC Dallas, totaling five goals in eight appearances so far this season, and continuing to work alongside Paul Arriola and Alan Velasco in Nico Estevez’s set up.
Ferreira delivered a lot of running in his 90-minute performance, joining Vazquez in the USMNT’s press before flying solo atop the formation for the final 30 minutes of the match. His goalscoring abilities and off-the-ball running will continue to have him in the USMNT conversation ahead of a busy summer schedule, which features a Nations League semifinal tie with Mexico before the Concacaf Gold Cup in June-July.
Ferreira is open to any role with the USMNT ahead of a second-straight meeting with El Tri in two months’ time.
“As a 10 you can kind of roam around, get behind their 6s and try to find the ball; obviously with a target 9 like Brandon, you can get any second balls,” said Ferreira. “It was something exciting for me to try and I’m thankful that coach had me in mind for that role. So for me, it’s just adjusting to where I have to drop or just fix the center backs in. We knew that balls in behind were going to be key here, so when I went to the 9, I knew I had to stretch them and make sure that we give that space to Alan [Soñora].