Back on Sept. 13, Jesús Ferreira made history.
In the 5th minute of the Sounders’ match against the LA Galaxy, the forward hit the back of the net for the 57th time in his MLS regular season career, passing Landon Donovan’s record for most goals under the age of 25.
“He's goal dangerous, whether it's assists or goals, his contributions offensively, his runs, it makes him such a dangerous player, and to be able to do that at such an early age, it shows his quality,” said midfielder Cristian Roldan.
It's been a rollercoaster of a season for the 24-year-old thus far, who is nearing the completion of his first year as a Sounder. Prior to joining Seattle, Ferreira had only been with one club — FC Dallas — for the entirety of his career.
Within the span of a few months, Ferreira had left his boyhood club, moved to a new city, joined a club with title expectations, and became a father. It was an immense amount of pressure, and expectations were high for the young forward.
“I think at first, you don't really understand how hard it is to go from a club that you spent all your life, a city that you spend all your life in, to a new, completely different environment,” said Ferreira. “But, you know, then the roller coaster went up.”
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Add a limited-edition Cascadia Rivalry t-shirt to your ticket to the Portland Timbers match. Matchday pick up info will be communicated prior to the match via email.
Kickoff at 6:00 p.m. PT on October 4.
Ferreira discussed how connecting with teammates and building friendships off the field has helped his comfortability on the pitch over time.
“Now, at the end of the season, you can start seeing the partnerships between players, the friendships growing on the field that makes us play even better because we have each other's back,” he said.
In addition to FC Dallas and now Sounders teammate Paul Arriola, Ferreira credits former USMNT teammates Roldan and Jordan Morris specifically for remaining patient with him, knowing the impact he was capable of bringing to the club.
“I'm grateful that they were on the team to be able to help me and get to a point where maybe I'm not 100% but you know, I'm climbing up,” said Ferreira.
Despite the opening hardships following his transition to the Sounders, Ferreira summarized his new chapter in Seattle as “an awesome journey” so far.
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Kickoff at 6:00 p.m. PT on October 4.
“Being able to win my first trophy ever in my career with this club, knowing that that was one of the reasons why I decided to come to Seattle. It's a winning club, winning mentality. Each game matters,” said Ferreira. “So for me to experience that in front of 70,000 fans, 60,000 fans, 30,000 fans, week in and week out, it's amazing.”
Now operating in more of an attacking midfield role, Ferreira has tallied five goals and seven assists across all competitions, including his recent milestone contribution against the Galaxy. In just a short amount of time, the young star has found ways to influence the team as a “leader by example,” according to Roldan.
And the best is yet to come.
“I think that as he gets older, he'll become more vocal, and he'll become a leader more so in the locker room,” said Roldan. “And then I just see him taking on more responsibility within the team as the years go by. Whether it's on the field, off the field, he's going to play a big role with developing other guys and showing ways to impact the game a little bit better.”
