FRISCO, Texas ā Jesus Ferreira admits that heading into this season, he didnāt envision himself in the FC Dallas starting XI.
āI didnāt think I was going to be able to start this year with (Dominique) Badji and [Zdenek Ondrasek also at forward], players that can hold up in the nine position,ā Ferreira told MLSSoccer.com after training on Tuesday.
However, now that Ferreira, 18, has started four consecutive matches for FCD and has two goals and two assists to show for his efforts, the son of 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira is benefitting from the increased confidence heās gained from becoming a consistent starter.
āYeah, Iām scoring, Iām assisting, Iām making plays, so I think that helps my confidence,ā Ferreira said. āWhen I look back at the games, Iām like, āI really did that.ā Then I can go out there and play my game.ā
Ferreiraās opportunity arose as Badji, who had an assist in Dallasā 1-1 season-opening draw against the New England Revolution on March 2, has missed three consecutive matches with a hamstring injury.
Ondrasek, who the club signed in December using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), has come off the bench three times in recent weeks, but the veteran forward from the Czech Republic has yet to crack the starting XI.
So, Ferreira has capitalized on his first chance to consistently start in MLS, a rapid ascension which has impressed first-year Dallas coach Luchi Gonzalez, who also previously coached him in the academy.
āJesus is adapting every day, every week. Weāre trying to work on timing, positioning and helping us in our build, be a reference as a nine in our build play,ā Gonzalez said. āThen once we break [into] midfield or get into the attacking third, can he get unmarked? Can he get into zones to get on the end of service and crosses? And then, if thereās a moment he needs to do something on his own, heās showing that he can. Again, [heās taking] steps. Heās continuing to learn and trying to be dangerous for this team.ā
Badji trained Tuesday morning, but left the session early, making his status for this Saturday's trip to Atlanta United FC (4 pm ET | ESPN, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada) uncertain at best.
Regardless, Ferreira, who signed with FCD as a Homegrown Player in November 2016, will continue adhering to a simple mentality, a formula which has served him well thus far in 2019.
ā[The coaches] always tell us that no spotās secure, so I just have to go out there on the training pitch and prove to them that I deserve that spot,ā Ferreira said.
Of course, it also helps Ferreiraās confidence that Gonzalez employs a system he's quite familiar with.
āYeah, I think everybody enjoys the system that heās putting out there,ā Ferreira said. āEverybody likes what heās doing. We believe in him.ā