Report: FC Dallas trades Jesus Ferreira to Seattle Sounders
In a transformative trade, FC Dallas receives a king's ransom for their most successful Homegrown in club history.
In what will go down as arguably the biggest trade in franchise history, FC Dallas is trading Jesus Ferreira to the Seattle Sounders per GiveMeSport’s Tom Bogert. In return Dallas gets $2 million in General Allocation Money (GAM), an international roster spot, and winger Leo Chu. The first report of Ferreira’s move northwest came via Sounders at Heart’s Niko Moreno several weeks ago, with Bogert confirming the report, saying “…high likelihood Jesus Ferreira has played his last game for FC Dallas.”
That likelihood is now confirmed pending final paperwork and approval. What does all this mean for all parties involved? Let’s talk about it.
Why did FC Dallas trade Jesus Ferreira?
One of the squad’s Designated Players, Ferreira has long been an important figure in the squad. His 2022 will go down as one of the best individual seasons in club history, scoring 18 goals with six assists in just under 2700 minutes. In total, Ferreira leaves Frisco with 170 total games with 54 goals and 34 assists. His legacy will be that of a marauding scorer whose finishing was top notch, providing electric moments when healthy and in form.
Those last four words play a big factor in why Ferreira is now a Sounder. Since that miraculous 2022 campaign, Ferreira’s availability has declined. He went from 33 matches played and 29 started in ‘22, to 27 and 25 in 2023, to 22 and 14 in ‘24. In that tenure he went from 18 goals to 12 to five.
More specifically, Ferreira’s recent decline can be tied to his participation in the 2023 Gold Cup for the United States. He led that tournament in total goals with seven, which included the game tying goal against Panama in the Semifinals. Since that game on July 12th, 2023 Ferreira has only eight goals across a season and a half of MLS play including just three the rest of 2023. Something happened from that point on that never saw Ferreira return to that ‘22 form.
Some of that is injury. Ferreira dealt with lower body injuries post Gold Cup that kept him out for varying amounts of time. It was a perpetual week to week proposition with Ferreira creating a mystery around his lineup status. Per TransferMarkt, Ferreira has missed 220 days with injury since August 2023, with 19 games denoted in that time. Those numbers could use some polishing, but even as they are it paints a picture of unavailability.
When he was on the pitch, finding Ferreira’s optimal role was a challenge. It’s not that he’s untalented, quite the opposite. Ferreira brings elite finishing and speed, clever passing, and strong soccer IQ to a squad. All that sounds great on paper, and at times resulted in dynamic play. Where it became a problem is Ferreira’s lack of fit into any specific role. He lacks the size of a traditional striker, playing mainly as a false nine type when put there. If he played wing that enabled his creativity, but neutered his final touch by pulling him away from goal. It’s the reason Dallas tried him as a 10 type under Petar Musa last season, but due to time missed that experiment has no definitive outcome.
Then there’s the Ferreira drift. One of Ferreira’s habits when he wasn’t receiving the ball in game was to go find it. That instinct usually put him far away from goal, even at times in the defensive back line, resulting in Dallas’ inability to have their primary scorer in the attack when needed among other issues. It made establishing a consistent plan when Ferreira was on pitch challenging.
It’s not just about Ferreira. The roster’s evolution since 2022 means Ferreira is a bit the odd man out. The arrivals of Petar Musa and Logan Farrington, both more adept at playing the traditional striker, meant Ferreira’s time at nine was done. With the acquisition of Anderson Julio from Real Salt Lake, Ferreira’s potential right wing spot is also occupied. Same with 10, as Alan Velasco will likely get that role going forward. There wasn’t a place at the table for Ferreira anymore, regardless of his talent.
This trade was foreshadowed some during the past MLS offseason. Reports emerged that FC Dallas had agreed on a deal with Russia’s Spartak Moscow on a deal worth around $13 million, but that deal never happened due to league intervention. Ever since then rumors have been that Ferreira’s time in Frisco was limited. Teams in Spain and Portugal have been connected to a potential Ferreira move, but neither came to pass.
This particular cocktail of events adds up to a situation where Ferreira’s future remains bright, but capped in Frisco. To take the next step in his development, Ferreira was going to need to move somewhere be it within MLS or outside. Whether it be a new coach, new system, or just a change of scenery something needed to change for the enigmatic US national. Moving to Seattle represents a big time change, but one that will likely be good for him.
What is FC Dallas getting?
Seattle is sending back the aforementioned $2 million in GAM alongside an international roster spot and winger Leo Chu. Per Bogert’s report Tuesday, Dallas “could receive future performance-based add-ons.” It’s unclear if that means Dallas maintains a sell-on fee, nobody has confirmed either way.
The GAM is a big number for Dallas, who already had a good sized war chest of Garber Bux to their name. There is a caveat to this however:
Between the Julio and Shaq Moore trades Dallas had used around $450,000 of their $4.42 million. With Dallas getting $1 million up front, that puts them at or around $5 million in GAM. That number can grow even more if Dallas changes their roster construction model to 2+4 (2 DPs and 4 U22 Initiative Players), which would net them another $2 million.
For those wondering “Why is that important,” a quick lesson on what GAM is for. In addition to trading it within the league to help acquire players, as we’ve seen already, you can also use that money to buy down salary cap impacts. An example: Let’s say Dallas has a player with a salary of $500,000. They can use GAM to reduce what that number counts against the cap. So instead of $500,000 against the cap, Dallas could use $350,000 GAM to make it $150,000. That opens up more cap space to where you can sign more players. Do note however this doesn’t count for DPs or U22s, as they already don’t count against the cap in full.
Dallas now has the ability to create a lot of salary space by using all this GAM to buy down players. It opens up what they can do both in league and out of it, which is a big asset for a team that is rebuilding. They’re not locked into much meaning if something isn’t working, they’ve got the resources to find different solutions.
In that same vein, the international spot is another tool for Dallas in their rebuild. Per the fall Club Roster Profiles Dallas had eight of them. Since MLS clubs start with seven by default, it’s reasonable to assume this trade will keep Dallas at that level since any extras can expire. With Eugene Ansah and Asier Illarramendi gone, Dallas had six spots occupied. Ramiro and Anderson Julio both need slots, so they take up the two vacated. There’s a potential open third spot if Dallas moves on from Patrickson, who was on loan. His status is currently unknown.
That brings us to Leo Chu, who per those same profiles didn’t take up an international spot with Seattle. Chu’s time in Seattle was underwhelming: 79 regular season games with just seven goals and 12 assists. The former U22 signing played in just 14 games last season, starting 12.
Despite all that, Seattle picked up his option in their year-end contract decisions meaning he’s got one year left at $550,000 per Capology. He’ll come to Dallas with the chance to take the left wing job that currently belongs to Paul Arriola.
I’m not trying to scare my fellow FC Dallas supporters, but I do want to put a content warning on the next two pictures because they might startle you. First, here’s Chu’s scouting report over the last year per FBRef:
More green than you might think for a guy that Seattle turned into a benchwarmer. Now let’s look at the Similar Players chart:
Not exactly the ten pack you want, especially when you consider how frustrating Jader Obrian was during his Dallas tenure. Chu is not coming in covered in glory, and even moreso than Ferreira needs a fresh start. Dallas will give that to him.
In an ideal world Chu becomes a much needed facilitator for Musa. One of Dallas’ struggles was getting Musa service, making his goal total last year (16) all the more impressive. Should Chu become that alongside Velasco to help power Musa and Julio, he’ll be a success. If things go badly, Chu’s only signed through 2025. It’s an easy walk away with minimal damage.
New Era Ended?
Before we get to what is next for the club, I’ve been holding onto a reader question since the rumors of both Ferreira and Arriola’s trades emerged. While Arriola is still in Dallas for now, it’s worth addressing:
The short answer? Yes.
The long answer is this change in identity has been in motion for a minute, and it centers around Musa. Once he was signed in February, the winds of change began blowing. For the first time in years Dallas’ attack was no longer led by Ferreira. Musa brought a totally different profile to Dallas, successfully as the squad’s leading scorer.
You’ve also got Logan Farrington who turned in a stellar first season as Musa’s deputy and could take the reigns one day if Musa is sold. Alan Velasco is back, and he puts in the work both on and off pitch. It’s a characteristic shared by all three of these building blocks.
Which isn’t an accident. Think back to what Eric Quill said during his introductory press conference on December 5th. He wants to cultivate a culture of hunger, guys who crave being on the pitch as much as possible. If you view the team’s offseason transactions through that lens, it shows they’re seeking a certain archetype of player. They obviously don’t feel Ferreira is that type, otherwise he’d likely still be here.
It might concern people, but it shouldn’t in my opinion. There’s no disputing Ferreira’s talent or his now history making time with the club. The hardest thing in sports however is looking forward. All the things Ferreira brought to the club are behind. They’re great things, but they no longer fit the forward vision. Which meant his time, and this era of FC Dallas soccer, is over.
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Ferreira’s departure opens up a lot of possibilities for Dallas. They’ve got an open DP slot if they want to use it, more GAM to spend, and open salary room. If Arriola ends up getting moved also, the salary pool expands even more.
Should Dallas decide they want to replace Ferreira, this feels the time to make a call on Weston McKennie. He fits a position of need at midfield, he’s got the personality fit that Quill is looking for, and he’s a marketable guy in both area and country. It’d also be a statement of intent by Dan and Clark Hunt that they’re not shrinking the payroll despite the stadium renovations.
The question becomes what is McKennie worth to current club Juventus and is that a number Dallas can/should afford. It’s almost certain any deal for McKennie would break the transfer record Dallas set on Musa. TransferMarket has McKennie at 24 million Euros, which is closer to $25 million. Even at half that number McKennie becomes the largest transfer in club history. Would I do it? Sure, but it’s also not my money.
In lieu of a record breaking transfer, the more sensible route for Dallas is to use these resources to accelerate Quill’s roster build. In talking to former manager Nico Estévez during his first season, he said it would take two to three transfer windows to get the team where he wanted. Being able to shrink that process for Quill gives him a chance at a faster start and a more consistent run.
I broke down a lot of the needs in my last piece regarding the state of Dallas’ roster. With Ferreira gone and Chu in the roster on there is out of date, but the needs remain the same especially if Arriola remains on the trade block. There’s no excuse not to fill them as Dallas is now one of the most resource rich teams in MLS. That doesn’t mean they need to spend every dime right now. It does mean there are no excuses if the squad doesn’t look as they want it by the end of the season.
This post will be updated as more information becomes available
Update 7:17 PM: Sounder At Heart has more details about the trade at their site.
Also this update from 3rd Degree’s Buzz Carrick on Bluesky:
Update 1/8/24 12:45 PM: The deal is now official official per FC Dallas. Part of the press release is quoted below:
“FC Dallas has traded forward Jesús Ferreira to Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for winger Léo Chú, $1 million in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM), $500k in 2026 GAM and up to $800k GAM if certain performance metrics are met and a 2025 International Roster Slot. FC Dallas also retain a percentage of a future transfer fee if Ferreira is moved outside of MLS or within the league. Ferreira, the most decorated Homegrown player in FC Dallas history, departs with 163 MLS regular season appearances, 53 goals, and 34 assists.
“On behalf of everyone at FC Dallas, I want to thank Jesús Ferreira for his contributions to our club,” FC Dallas President Dan Hunt said. “From his time in our Academy to becoming one of the top players in MLS, Jesús has made a tremendous impact on our organization. His dedication and goal-scoring prowess will always be an important part of our history.”
‘On a personal level, I’ve really enjoyed the relationship I've had with both him and his father, David, who is one of the greatest players to ever play for FC Dallas. Jesús has left a similar legacy.’”