As Seattle Sounders FC sought to bolster their attack this offseason, FC Dallas star Jesús Ferreira sought a change of scenery.
That fortuitous timing created a logical fit, culminating with Wednesday's announcement that Ferreira is headed to Seattle in a blockbuster intra-league trade. In exchange for Ferreira, Seattle sent FC Dallas winger Léo Chú, up to $2.3 million in General Allocation Money (GAM), an international roster spot, and a sell-on percentage.
"For me, it was kind of time in Dallas," Ferreira told reporters from US men's national team camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "Dallas and I kinda knew towards the end of the season that it was getting to that time.
"For me, it was a situation where it's either I want a new challenge, I want to grow, I want to experience new things or stay comfortable," he added. "And that's not what I wanted. I wanted to challenge myself, get to a new city, get to a new club, learn about new people."
Clean slate
Ferreira's arrival follows a down 2024 season that saw him struggle with injuries while scoring just five goals. The hope, Sounders general manager Craig Waibel said, is a fresh start that sees Ferreira recapture the form that previously made him one the top young players in MLS.
The 24-year-old is one of just five players in league history to score 50 goals before age 25 and was named MLS Young Player of the Year while earning an MLS Best XI selection in his 18-goal, six-assist season of 2022. That year, he also claimed the top spot in MLSsoccer.com's 22 Under 22 rankings.
"We had a really nice list of players targeted from all over the world," Waibel said Wednesday. "If you would have told me six months ago we didn't have to leave [MLS], I probably wouldn't have flown as many times as I did. Because if I knew he was available six months ago, that would have been the beginning and end of our list.
"... He's very humble but at the same time, he's full of fire. We needed a player that still had something to prove. We needed a player that frankly makes us a little less kind and nice."
Providing a boost
Ferreira joins a Seattle side that's coming off a Western Conference Final appearance in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, but struggled offensively for much of the regular season, finishing with just 51 goals.
Waibel said Ferreira's pedigree and versatility give him confidence that he'll thrive alongside USMNT teammate Jordan Morris and 2024 marquee signing Pedro de la Vega.
"We have a guy that can stretch the field in Jordan. Jesús is another guy," Waibel said. "And I think one of the things we were missing in the last couple of years is we didn't have another guy that was doing that. And so I can't wait to see what the coaches do.
"... He's a young player, but he's got a chip on his shoulder. One thing we like about him is what we know about him: His ability to show up and train at a high level, his willingness to show up and work – that fits in with our locker room. But we also need him to come in and disrupt our locker room and challenge what had ultimately become comfortable player selection and lineup selections, and substitutions."
CCC/Club World Cup opportunity
Further adding to the appeal from Waibel's perspective, Ferreira will not occupy a Designated Player spot on Seattle's roster after he carried that tag with FC Dallas.
Asked if that gave him pause in agreeing to the move, Ferreira said his desire to compete for trophies outweighed any hesitancy.
"In terms of the DP stuff and all that: Yes, did I consider staying because of my contract? Yeah," Ferreira said. "But at the end of the day, that's not why I play soccer. I play soccer to enjoy, to win trophies and that's what I'm trying to achieve in Seattle. I'm trying to come and help as much as I can with the abilities that I can give to the team."
Seattle will have plenty of cracks at adding to their trophy case in 2025, as the club will participate in both this year's Concacaf Champions Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
"I would be lying here [to say the Club World Cup] wasn't one of the reasons why I chose Seattle," Ferreira said.
"It's another platform to show off what I can do. But not the only one. Obviously, when you're in a competition that big and you're playing against those teams, it's always an opportunity to show yourself and show what the team can do and that we're able to compete at that high a level of a stage."
