Jesus Ferreira scores late goal to seal FC Dallas' 1-0 win over Austin FC

Ferreira scored his sixth goal of the season.
Ferreira scored his sixth goal of the season. / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
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FC Dallas striker Jesus Ferreira led his side to victory over Austin FC with a late goal in the 89th minute.

Ferreira just loves playing against Austin FC. The U.S. international has now scored five goals against the Verde and Black, which is the most a player has ever scored against them.

With his sixth goal of the season, Ferreira is quietly having a solid season and is among the league's top goal-scorers in the race for the Golden Boot. Ferreira's last-minute winner saw FC Dallas pick up their first win in the MLS since their 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on April 15.

FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez praised the academy graduate but also urged him to put in more performances like the one vs Austin.

"This is what we should expect of him. We should ask him to do this type of performance because he has the capacity."

Estevez believes that in order for Ferreira to keep improving he must be relentless in his efforts throughout games: "If he wants to raise his top level, he has to do an amazing performance physically. Like pressing, running, fighting. This is what makes him different. He has the ability to repeat actions at high speed. And this is what other players cannot do."

Ferreira wasn't the only FC Dallas player to put in a strong performance. Estevez highlighted midfielder Sebastian Lletget's ability to step in and stop the Austin FC attacks.

"On Friday in the morning at 8:30, I sat with some of the players and said 'Hey, guys, this is the plan, and if we do this, we'll minimize Austin's attack,'" he said. "But you need one of the players to sacrifice in order that this works, and Lletget stepped up and said 'I'm doing it, I'll do it.' And then you saw how he worked today, how he battled today and how he helped the team defensively. This is what leaders do."

FC Dallas have collected 18 points from 11 games and are now fourth in the Western Conference table. The Toros host the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday night before another Texas derby against the Houston Dynamo.