Jesus Ferreira Nets Four As USMNT Squash Their Striker Woes

The USMNT is playing in the CONCACAF Nations League to prepare themselves for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. They played their first match of the competition yesterday against Grenada, and FC Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira set the stage on fire.

The MLS star scored four goals in the match as the USMNT emerged as 5-0 winners in their first match of the competition. Their next match will be against El Salvador, another easy match-up for Gregg Berhalter’s men.

This is the first test that they faced after the friendlies against Uruguay and Morocco and the USMNT passed it with flying colors.

Jesus Ferreira drops a poker!

The 21-year-old forward had a tough time playing as a number nine for the USMNT. However, Ferreira stepped up and grabbed his chance with both hands. He’s almost certain to start against El Salvador too, and might just find a place for himself in the starting eleven for the World Cup.

His first goal came in the 43rd minute after he had missed a couple of chances. However, that first goal opened the floodgates and he scored three goals in the second half to match the record for most goals scored by an American in a single match, along with Landon Donovan and a few others.

It’ll be interesting to see how big of a boost this will be to his confidence. USMNT fans can rejoice as a striker of his age can only get better.

USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter reacts to Ferreira’s hattrick

Gregg Berhalter must have been rejoicing after having a striker perform well. It has been a problem position for the USMNT and no player could make the spot his own.

However, it seems like Ferreira might be the answer to their problems. Berhalter praised him for responding well under pressure and ignoring the level of the opposition.

“I think that anytime a player is under pressure, you look for how they respond. That’s the important thing, and no matter what the level of the opponent is, the player still has to perform,” Berhalter said.

Read More: USMNT Stars Talks About the Team’s Mentality Ahead of the Qatar World Cup