Letter to the Next Generation

To all the young players coming up,

It’s kinda weird writing a letter for the next generation, I won’t lie, I’m only 23! I still feel young! But at the same time, I have seen a lot in this game already. I’ve been through some things that I think you can relate to if you’re a teenager with the same dreams that I had. 

Everyone’s path is different, but no matter where you come from, there are some lessons in this game that are timeless. 

So, here we go. I’m not an old-head yet, but here’s some important stuff I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way.)

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1. Be Adaptable

Soccer is everything, right? We all know that. OK, but for me growing up soccer really was everything. My world revolved around it. I mean, literally.

My dad, David, was a professional and a lot of people assume that growing up with a pro for a dad would be all rainbows and sunshine. Let me tell you, it wasn’t like that. Wherever his career went, we went. I was born in Colombia, but by the time I was 10 I had lived in four countries, on three continents.

We moved to Brazil when I turned four, Dubai for a year when I was eight, then to the States when I was nine. It’s a lot to keep restarting your whole life, having to leave places and people behind.

I have these snapshot memories of the different lives we lived.

In Colombia, playing barefoot in the street with the whole neighborhood. 

In Brazil, seeing the passion of the fans and the color and the atmosphere of those stadiums. Nobody does it like them. 

In Dubai, Mom wasn’t allowed to go to the stadiums, so I remember days on end spent in the hotel room bossing Mario Sunshine on the GameCube.

And then coming to Dallas, my first memories are of my parents putting us straight into an all English-speaking school – not even bilingual – and just looking at the teachers and other kids like, I have no idea what you people are saying to me. 

But, of course, no matter where in the world you are, there is one language that is universal.

At recess, as soon as I heard that bell go off, it was straight out onto the field, kicking the ball with people I couldn’t say a word to a few minutes before. It was like we’d been friends our whole lives! They shouted things at me and I shouted things back and we understood each other in those moments. That’s the true beauty of soccer. 

And then the bell went again and we went our separate ways in silence, like I don’t know you, you don’t know me, I’m not gonna understand, but I’ll see you again tomorrow at the bell. Hahaha!

In the end, I did learn English pretty fast and I made friends even faster – friends I still have to this day. I’m proud of that. That’s lesson number 1. And it’s essential. In soccer, you never know where life is gonna take you next, but you always have to be open to people and to learning new things.

2. Figure Out Your Superpower

When I was first starting out at FC Dallas, I wasn’t Jesús. I was David Ferreira’s son.

It was always, “Did you know David’s son is coming up?” “David’s son is doing good!” “David’s son is not as good as his dad!”

It was tough, but from Day One, you’re going to have to learn to deal with pressure and factors outside your control. Use it.

I appreciate my dad, of course, but I had to use him as motivation – in a positive way. I wanted to be better than him, break his records and put my own name out there.

That’s not easy though, because, honestly, my dad … He was a Big Deal.

You might already know, he was pretty successful at Dallas. He helped take the club to the MLS Cup Final and was the league MVP in 2010. Beyond his time in America, wherever he went, the thing that always stayed with me was how much the fans looooved him. 

One of the strongest memories I have from back in Brazil is watching him go out onto the field and seeing how much joy he brought to the stadium.

You know what Brazil is like with soccer, it’s serious. People are born into a team and they die with that team. The atmosphere and color in those grounds is like nothing else.… And when they sing a player’s name, it really means something.

I remember being like, Damn, they’re actually singing for my dad? 

I was in awe. You could feel the connection. 

He just had this work ethic. No one could ever doubt his commitment. He taught me that you never know what the fans are going through, maybe they’ve had a terrible week or maybe they’re spending their last $20 on a ticket. And us, as athletes, we have this special ability to change people’s moods by putting it all out there – by giving them something that hits way more than just 90 minutes. 

That’s the greatest power you have as a soccer player.

3. Thank Your Mom

My dad is an important part of my story, of course, but my mom.… She’s Superwoman.

I wouldn’t be where I am without her sacrifice.

When my dad’s time at Dallas came to an end, he went back to Colombia for his next move. I was only 12 or 13, my brother was even younger, and my parents had a big decision to make about what to do with our family.

Mom came to us like, “So, Dad’s moving to another team.… What do y’all want to do? Because I’m here for y’all.”

You need those people in your life who support you and believe in you, no matter what. Make sure they know how much you appreciate them.

- Jesus Ferreira

She left the decision of whether to stay or go back home up to us.

She could’ve just said, “OK, we’re going back to Colombia.” She didn’t speak English, she didn’t know anyone in America. She could’ve had a good life in her own country. But my brother and I were getting settled, we had friends, soccer was becoming more and more serious for us and she wanted to give us the best possible opportunity to pursue something.

And so it was like “Alright, the kids are in a good spot here. Let’s make the best of it.”

You need those people in your life who support you and believe in you, no matter what. Make sure they know how much you appreciate them.

Her sacrifice made me realize like, OK, now we have to make it. We have to make this count. We have to do this for her. I’m grateful for that every day. 

When in doubt, it's never a bad idea to call your mom.

4. Getting a Contract Is the Easy Part

I know how it is when you’re young. You think that getting a first-team contract is the grind, and then after that you’ve made it. I know I did. 

I signed my first deal in 2017 and scored on my debut against Real Salt Lake. At 16, I was on cloud nine. I was like, I’ve arrived. I’ve got this.… What’s next??

But then after that, I never even saw the bench the whole season. One game, one goal, out the team. I couldn’t understand it. I had family and friends waiting for me in the stands and I’m not even in the 18??

One of the best lessons my dad ever taught me was to wait for your moment. Be patient. 

The next season, I went out on loan to a USL team, Tulsa Roughnecks. I’d train with Dallas during the week and then make the four-hour drive up there for the games on the weekends.

Man, I hated those long drives, but they gave me a lot of alone time to think. 

What am I doing wrong? Why am I in this situation? What do I gotta do to improve?

I ended up having a great time in Tulsa. It’s all about experiences at that age. You gotta be mentally ready for your shot and, back then, honestly, I don’t think I was. 

Signing the contract is the easy part. The hard part? That’s putting in the work day after day in training.

5. Allow Your Dreams to Change

I have to be honest with you about one thing. Growing up … my dream was always to play for Colombia.

I mean, that’s where I was born. My dad is a Copa America winner. How could it not be, right?

Even when I was a bit older, whenever we’d visit Colombia, I just loved how much soccer was a part of the fabric of the whole country. There’s graffiti and murals of national team players everywhere. There’s groups of kids kicking water bottles in the street instead of balls, using shoes as goalposts. It’s impossible not to fall in love with a soccer culture like that.

But as things started to progress in the States, the USMNT started to take an interest and would invite me to camps. They had great resources, a great setup and were with me every step of the way.

Colombia never really showed that interest in me, so it became an easy decision. As a player you gotta learn to go where you’re valued.

I talked it over with my family, and I asked myself one question. It was like, are you going to love representing the U.S.? Because if you won’t, then you shouldn’t commit. 

The answer came very fast.

America had given me everything. It’s where it all started.

I’ll never forget the moment, after I aced my citizenship test, when Coach Gregg stood up in the middle of dinner at a camp and was like, "Hey everyone, I have some news ... Jesús has just got FIFA clearance to play for the U.S.!" 

​​Since putting on the red, white and blue, I’ve made so many amazing memories. I’ve been to an actual World Cup. I’ve truly lived a dream. It wasn’t my first dream. But it was my best dream.

6. Control the Controllables

What are you going to do when you hit a rock on the road?

For me, my lowest moment came in last year’s Gold Cup. 

It was weird. I mean, I was the Golden Boot winner. I was firing all through the group stages, but then, when it really mattered, I missed that PK in the semifinals against Panama.

I broke down. I was devastated.

Is this really happening? 

Sometimes, it’s hard for people to realize just how much goes into this sport. How hard it is on us.

We’re human, we’re on social media. We read the comments. When we’ve had a bad game, we already know. To go on online and get it all over again.… It sucks, honestly. And you know 90% of the people that are doing it from behind a keyboard wouldn’t say anything to your face. 

But what’ll make you stronger is how fast you can move on from the negativity. You gotta let it be. Yes, be mad for a few hours. Be sad for a week, if you want. But then what? Put that energy into something. 

You gotta be like, Alright, Jesús, today wasn't one of your best games ... what did you do wrong? What did you do good? 

I remember in the months leading up to the World Cup in Qatar, I was so desperate to make that squad. There was a lot of talk about me and I felt this pressure. I would get in my own head before every game, like I HAVE to score today. I HAVE to assist.

I went the first three games of the season with zero. I was so focused on the ball going in the back of the net that I wasn’t really thinking about how I could help the team.

I spoke to a sports psychologist who helped me realize that being a “good” player is not about that one inch of whether the ball goes in or not.… At the end of the day, if you score, you score, if you don’t, you don’t. You can’t always be perfect. Instead you’ve got to control the controllables, keep making the runs when the defense opens up. Understand your role in the bigger picture. 

After that, things clicked again.

It’s hard to fully understand that as a young player, when you are so desperate to stand out. But, trust me, you can’t be hot all the time.

In Dallas, we have a guy who talks to us about mental health, and he has this saying that I think about a lot: 

If you’re not at your A game, you better bring your best B game. And if you're not at your B game? Well, then bring your best C game. 

Be the best version of you in every game and every training session. If you do that, the chances will keep coming.

7. Take the Next Step

MLS has changed a lot since I broke through — even more since my dad’s day.

The league is growing. The talent here now is truly world class. We’re talking Messi, Busquets, Jordi Alba, Suárez, Insigne, Cucho – there are players out here that have played in Europe at the highest level. 

Honestly, that part is crazy.… The presence of those top players, brings so much more than just sales and marketing, they raise the standards. 

It makes you be like, I gotta show out against these guys.

But the other big change in recent years is the young players coming up and the way the focus has changed.

When I was growing up, one of the reasons we committed and stayed put as a family was because we were always hearing, “Hey, Dallas has the best academy. They signed 30-plus homegrowns. If Jesús is gonna have a shot, this is the place to do it.”

Back then, Dallas was far, far ahead of any other academy. When you heard Dallas Academy, you heard homegrowns, good facilities, national championships, trophies. All that stuff. No one else was really committing to young talent the way they were – there was a clear pathway to the first team.

I came up with Paxton Pomykal as a teammate. Brandon Servania, who now plays in Toronto, too. We had other guys who made it pro, some who went on to college, and some who are now in the USL. 

These days, Dallas is still a fantastic place to be for young kids, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the only option. In that sense, MLS NEXT is changing the game.

There are better opportunities for you to get that level of development early, so you’re ready to go into the MLS environment up against those superstars who used to be your idols.

There’s no “right” road to take, but the league is betting on homegrown talent now and that’s really exciting. No one can say the opportunity isn’t there. It’s all about how hard you’re prepared to work for it.

Whenever and however your opportunity comes, make sure that you take full advantage of it.

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Listen, I’ve still got a lot to learn and a long way to go.

In the end, God’s path for everyone is different. Everyone has their own obstacles and their own timeline. Find yours, do it your way, and keep going every day.

But above all, just enjoy the journey.

Good luck and see you out there on the pitch soon.

Yours,

Jesús