The young striker is lighting up CONCACAF and, despite his critics, seems poised for a move across the Atlantic in the near future.
Say what you want about the levels of crazy in American soccer, but you have to acknowledge that United States men's national team fans have a sense of humor. Their most recent moment of hysteria centers around Jesus Ferreira, the young USMNT striker that has been blessed with a tongue-in-cheek nickname that has social media in hysterics.
'The Pirate of the Caribbean' is a nickname born as a response to Ferreira's goalscoring record. He has been scoring for fun with the USMNT, especially at the ongoing Gold Cup, but not everyone is impressed.
Ferreira's goals, by and large, have come against CONCACAF's smaller teams, hence the nickname. When given the chance to face some of the weaker teams in the region, Ferreira has always made sure to pour it on, having now scored 14 goals in just 21 USMNT appearances. That puts him just three goals away from cracking the USMNT's top 10 goalscorers, and he's only 22.
That accomplishment, though, is viewed through two lenses. The pessimist points to the fact that those goals are coming against overmatched opponents in largely one-sided games. The optimist, meanwhile, sees goals, regardless of where they're coming from or who against, and, for a USMNT program that lacked goals for so long, how could that be a bad thing?
As the summer goes on, though, several opinions will begin to show themselves, and they're the most important ones. No, we're not talking about USMNT's rabid Twitter fanbase; we're talking about those in charge at European clubs, many of whom will be taking a close look at Ferreira after this summer's goal explosion.
Some already have been looking and, at some point, Ferreira will almost certainly make his big move. He's certainly earned the chance to go from pillaging the North American region to one of Europe's top leagues.
Getty ImagesFerreira's career so far
The 22-year-old USMNT star's road to the No.9 race is an interesting one, mostly because he wasn't always a No.9. Originally an attacking midfielder for FC Dallas, Ferreira transitioned to the position after Ricardo Pepi's big move to Europe following his MLS breakout. Pepi is, of course, now one of the players Ferreira is competing with for a spot in the USMNT striker pool.
After scoring 18 goals across his first 81 appearances, Ferreira's transition to playing as FC Dallas' No.9 was seamless, as he scored 18 goals in 2022 alone. He has followed that up with 10 more in his first 18 games of the 2023 MLS season.
Internationally, Ferreira became a regular for the U.S. in 2022, earning a spot at the World Cup. He started just once in Qatar, a disappointing runout against the Netherlands, but looks set to have a say as the 2026 cycle gets underway.
AdvertisementGettyA Pirate's Life
Through just 21 appearances, Ferreira has 14 goals, an impressive total. There are some caveats, though, when it comes to the competition those goals have been scored against.
Of those 14, five have come against Trinidad & Tobago, four came against Grenada, while three came against Saint Kitts and Nevis. One, meanwhile, was scored in a World Cup qualifier against Panama while another was scored in a friendly draw against Mexico. It's not an impressive list, for sure.
Meanwhile, just that one goal against Mexico has come in a game that wasn't a total blowout. Every other match that Ferreira has scored in has ended in at least a four-goal USMNT win. That record, of course, has led to the new nickname, which pokes fun at Ferreira's tendency to crush CONCACAF's minnows. Ferreira, though, isn't worried about those criticizing his goal record.
"For me, as a forward, it's always my job to score goals, to come in and try to score goals against whoever's in front of us," he said before putting three past Trinidad & Tobago in the USMNT's Gold Cup group stage finale. "Yeah, I've scored a lot of goals against Caribbean teams, but, like I said, my job is to score goals and I'm gonna do that no matter who's in front of us."
His interim coach, B.J. Callaghan, has also been impressed, as the former No.10 has done a little of everything for a USMNT side that is among the favorites to win the trophy this summer.
“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 back, helping build-up play, for me he’s having a really complete tournament.”
Getty ImagesMaking history
Just 21 games into his USMNT career, Ferreira is already making history. With his hat-trick against St. Kitts & Nevis, he became the fastest player to hit double-digit goals in a USMNT shirt. With his treble against Trinidad & Tobago, he became the first American to score three goals in back-to-back games, while equalling Landon Donovan for most USMNT hat-tricks, with three.
Say what you want about caveats or levels of opposition, but those numbers do mean something. Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Christian Pulisic… all have played against similar teams, but it's Ferreira that, at the moment, is lighting them up.
And it's not just the finishes themselves, but also the quality. Look at Ferreira's first goal against T&T as an example. It was a fantastic striker's finish, as Ferreira took one touch, set himself up and fired into the back of the net. It was quality, no matter who it came against.
Still, perspective and nuance is difficult in this day and age, and Ferreira is perhaps the best example of that fact.
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Getty ImagesA bit of perspective
Alexi Lalas isn't always known for giving the most measured takes, but his analysis of Ferreira's play is spot on. "You can look at Jesus Ferreira with perspective and recognize that he's doing this against inferior opposition," Lalas said on his podcast. "You can also look at it as an incredible moment in this player's life where everything he's touching is turning to gold, or goal as this case may be. An American is scoring goals for America at a historical pace, and that is fun, it is worth praise, and is worth celebrating.
"Does it mean he's going to become Messi or the U.S. is going to win the World Cup? No! But at this time, at this moment with this group at this Gold Cup, this is fun to see and if you crap on it, then you have bigger problems."
Two things can be true at once. Ferreira can be playing fantastic soccer, showing why there are plenty of reasons to be excited about his development. He could also be doing so against teams he should be lighting up on a regular basis.
Ferreira, though, finds himself in an impossible situation. If he fails to score, it's because he isn't good enough. If he scores too many, it's because the opponent isn't good enough. There's no winning. For many, the narrative around him has been written, largely based on one game at the World Cup. He didn't score against Virgil van Dijk in his first World Cup game, and that'll be enough for some to move on.
Ferreira, too, has moved on by scoring goal after goal for club and country ever since. And that is good news, no matter which way you look at it.