FC Dallas striker Jesus Ferreira netted a late goal in the 89th minute to give his team the win over Austin FC.
Ferreira loves playing against Austin FC. The US international has now scored five goals against Verde and Black, the most by a player against them.
With his sixth goal of the season, Ferreira is quietly having a solid season and is one of the league’s top goal-scorers in the race for the Golden Boot. Ferreira’s last-minute winner saw FC Dallas earn their first win MLS’s since their 2–1 win over Real Salt Lake on 15 April.
FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez praised the academy graduate, but also urged him to perform more like the one versus Austin.
We should expect the same from them. We should ask them to perform like this because they have the potential.
Estevez believes that in order for Ferreira to keep improving, he must be relentless in his efforts throughout the game: “If he wants to elevate his top level, he will have to be an amazing performer physically. Under pressure like Putting, running, fighting. That’s what makes him. He’s different. He has the ability to repeat actions at a fast pace. And that’s what other players can’t do.”
Ferreira wasn’t the only FC Dallas player to put in a strong performance. Estevez highlighted midfielder Sebastien Lelette’s ability to step up and stop Austin FC’s attacks.
“At 8:30 on Friday morning, I sat down with some of the players and said ‘Hey guys, here’s the plan, and if we do this, we’ll take down Austin’s attack,'” he said. “But you need one of the players to make it work, and Lletgate stepped up and said ‘I’m doing it, I’ll do it.’ And then you saw how he did today, how he fought today and how he helped the team defensively. That’s what leaders do.”
FC Dallas has collected 18 points from 11 games and is now at the fourth position in the Western Conference table. The Toros host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night before another Texas derby against the Houston Dynamo.