The U.S. men’s national team has had several deadly attacking forward in its history with Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan leading the way, but it was a new name that made history on Sunday night in a dominant Concacaf Gold Cup victory over Trinidad & Tobago.
Jesus Ferreira continued his rampant goalscoring form at Bank of America Stadium, scoring a hat trick for a second-consecutive match in a 6-0 Group A victory. The 22-year-old became the first USMNT player to register back-to-back hat tricks in federation history, giving him six goals in three appearances this tournament.
Not only has Ferreira been key in helping the Americans rebound from an opening night draw vs. Jamaica, but he’s scoring in many different ways atop B.J. Callaghan’s attack.
“I’m happy. I’m excited,” Ferreira said postmatch. “Obviously, this is a team objective. I wouldn’t be able to score goals without my teammates putting me in situations where I can score goals.
“So, from the beginning, we knew that this game was going to be intense. We have to bring the intensity, we have to be the team that can set the tempo and I think we did that.”
Ferreira entered the tournament with eight goals in 18 USMNT caps, but now has eclipsed the double-digit mark by taking his goal total up to 14. The FC Dallas product scored his six goals on 12 total shots in the group stage, showing his clinical ability to slot away chances inside of the box.
Both Ferreira and fellow striker Brandon Vazquez entered the Gold Cup seeking to boost their stock following the positive Nations League performances of Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi in June. The duo have combined for eight of the USMNT’s 13 goals through 270 minutes so far, with Ferreira holding the edge after starting all three matches.
The USMNT will now have a week off before facing the runners-up of Group D in the Gold Cup quarterfinals, which could be either Guadeloupe, Guatemala, or Canada pending Tuesday’s final results. Ferreira will be expected to deliver more in the final few matches, but overall Callaghan is pleased with what he’s brought to the table.
“All forwards are going to be judged by the goals that they score, first and foremost. When I see his movement and his confidence in the penalty box, you can tell that the game has slowed down for him,” Callaghan said. “All of the work that he’s doing, leading our line defensively, dropping down, helping buildup play, for me he’s having a really complete tournament.”