Jesus Ferreira has spent more time recovering from injuries this season than he has played on the field, but that hasn’t stopped him from making history with FC Dallas.
With his goal against Austin last week, the forward became the youngest player in MLS history to reach 50 career goals.
“I’m excited to reach 50 goals with this club. I’ve dreamed of playing for this club and achieving so much,” said Ferreira, who will be in Houston with his team on Saturday to face Dynamo in the Texas Derby.
Ferreira has scored 50 goals in 147 MLS games.Since making his debut in 2017, he has recorded 30 assists in this period.
Ferreira was 23 years and 139 days old, surpassing the record currently held by LA Galaxy attacker Diego Fagundes (23 years, 256 days).
“It feels great,” Ferreira said. “My goal is to break the record and make my own history. It means a lot to me.”
Ferreira scored just his second goal of the season last week after playing just 336 minutes.
The absence of FCD’s top scorer over the past two seasons coincides with the team’s losing record (three wins in 11 games).
“We started the season very slowly but now I think we are working well together, we are starting to score goals and we want to show the fans that we are a competitive team,” Ferreira said.
FC Dallas will be hopeful of winning the match with Ferreira’s inclusion in the starting lineup and his explosive attacking duo with Croatia’s Petar Musa.
So far, Ferreira and Musa have played three games together.
“I think with each game and each training session Jesus and I have developed better communication. It’s only natural as we get to know each other better,” said Musa, who is the club’s top scorer with four goals.
There is a feeling within FCD that having Ferreira and Musa in the starting line-up will increase the team’s chances of winning.
“Jesus is an important player for us and having him in the lineup is important for him and Moussa to have good chemistry,” FC Dallas midfielder Asier Illarramendi said. “I’m sure that Jesus and Petar together will give us a lot of joy.”
With Ferreira and Musa both in good form, FC Dallas will be looking for their first away win of the season in Houston.
In the Western Conference, FCD is 12th with 11 points, Houston is 8th with 17 points.
“A win would mean a lot, especially since it’s our first away game,” FC Dallas coach Nico Estevez said. “We’re a team that has always done well in Houston, and winning the derby against our direct rivals would help us move up in the conference standings.”
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