USMNT's 'Pirate of the Caribbean' Jesus Ferreira deserves a European transfer after Gold Cup heroics

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.

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.”

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.

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 State of the Union 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.

The good news is that transfer business (at least usually) isn't decided by Twitter. Ferreira, at age 22, has proven that he can dominate in MLS. He's also proven that he can score at the international level and already has a World Cup experience on his resume. Because of that, European clubs are certainly looking, and if they weren't before this Gold Cup, they certainly are now.

Napoli are one club that has already been linked with Ferreira and, with Victor Osimhen often linked with a big-money move of his own, it seems the Serie A giants could be a good situation to walk into. It's a good sign that clubs of that size are looking, and it's an indication that those in Europe are valuing what Ferreira is doing for club and country. The same could be said of Brandon Vazquez, his Gold Cup team-mate, who has been linked with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Ferreira, though, will have learned from his former FC Dallas club-mate Pepi, who perhaps jumped a bit too far a bit too soon. Shortly after bursting onto the scene in MLS, Pepi found himself making a record-breaking move to Augsburg. The deal came before he ever properly dominated MLS, and before he was truly ready for life in Europe.

Ferreira, though, is older and more experience than Pepi. By the end of this season, he'll likely have two dominant MLS campaigns under his belt. Physically and mentally, he's further ahead of where Pepi was when he left for Augsburg, but there's nothing wrong with being patient, refining your craft and making the right move at the right time.

More links will come this summer, too, for a player that has continued to improve each and every time we see him play. Scouts are no doubt watching the Gold Cup, and anyone with eyes will have seen the ridiculous numbers that Ferreira is putting up with ease in what, despite its limitations, is still an international tournament.

The key for Ferreira, though, will be to go back to MLS and continue scoring goals. He's already established himself as an All-Star and a Golden Boot contender, but if he can push toward that 20-goal mark, he'll have made his case for a European move, and a big one at that.

That move, whenever it comes, will be key for Ferreira's hopes on the road to 2026.

Despite his recent successes, Ferreira likely remains the third striker on the USMNT depth chart. The hierarchy was made pretty clear this summer, with Pepi and Folarin Balogun called into the Nations League squad, while Ferreira and Vazquez were named to the Gold Cup team.

Balogun is almost certainly the starter right now, and it'll take some doing to unseat him. Much will depend on his own transfer, though, as the Arsenal striker will need to get his next move right if he's to build on the momentum created by his breakout season on loan at Reims.

Pepi is next on the list as he celebrates his own move to PSV. He shone in the Eredivisie while on loan at Groningen, and has earned a move up the ladder to one of the league's giants.

And then there's Ferreira, who could certainly push his way up the list over the next three years. He'll most likely need to leave MLS to do so, as playing at home does put a ceiling on his development. If Ferreira can follow his old team-mate Pepi to Europe, there's no reason that those two can't battle it out alongside Balogun for minutes at striker for the next decade.

It's still early for all three. Balogun, Pepi and Ferreira are all at the very beginnings of their career, so much can change in the coming years depending on form, fitness and development.

For now, though, Ferreira is doing all he can. As things stand, all he can do is score goals when called upon and, if he can do just that, the USMNT will be better off.