WASHINGTON, D.C. – It’s been a busy week for Jesús Ferreira. The FC Dallas Homegrown traveled to Washington, D.C. for the MLS All-Star week just a few days after competing for the United States in the Gold Cup where his seven goals made him the tournament’s top scorer.
The 22-year-old now turns his focus to Wednesday’s All-Star game against Premier League giants Arsenal FC.
“I'm excited, it’s the kind of event that only happens once every year,” Ferreira told FCDallas.com after the All-Stars’ training session at the National Mall. “Each opponent is different and this time I get to play Arsenal, one of the biggest clubs and in the Premier League, so we're excited. We know it's gonna be a hard game. But we have to enjoy it and go out there and try to win.”
Arsenal is coming off a strong campaign that saw the Gunners finish runners-up in the Premier League after falling just short to eventual champions Manchester City. It’s undoubtedly a tough matchup for the All-Stars, who are led by head coach Wayne Rooney—a five-time Premier League champion during his playing days.
“It’s an exciting time for the league and the players to be involved in this game against a very good Arsenal team,” Rooney said in a press conference on Tuesday. “Of course, you want to win but I think these events are also fun for the fans to enjoy. It’s a treat to watch some of the best players in the league have different challenges. It’s exciting and something to look forward to.”
As usual with All-Star games, coach Rooney may have a selection headache, especially on the attacking side of things. Eight forwards were named to the squad: Jesús Ferreira (Dallas) Kei Kamara (Chicago), Giorgos Giakoumakis (Atlanta), Christian Benteke (DC), Jordan Morris (Seattle), Dénis Bouanga (LAFC), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville) and Cristian Espinoza (San Jose).
It's not an easy group to stand out in but Ferreira seems to have caught the eye of his temporary head coach.
"(Ferreira) is a fantastic player, like all the players here in the All-Star squad,” Rooney said. “He's got a lot of ability, obviously he had a great Gold Cup. He's just go to keep working hard to achieve his goals and he's got a lot of potential to go and be a real top player."
To his credit, Ferreira has proven his ability to play and be effective in multiple positions. Under current Dallas coach Nico Estévez, Ferreira has typically been deployed as a central striker but he’s flourished as an attacking midfielder and second striker under previous regimes. Ferreira recently played as a wide attacker for the United States, too.
That versatility could help Ferreira earn significant minutes when the All-Stars take the field against Arsenal Wednesday night.
“There are so many top players to choose from for the game, players in different positions,” Rooney said. “But I think the most important thing, certainly for attacking players, is to go and enjoy it. Play with no fear, be creative. That’s what you want in the final third, your attacking players to be creative and I have no doubt that the players we have here can cause Arsenal some problems. I’m just as interested and intrigued as everyone else to see how it pans out and how the players interact out on the pitch.”
