Young striker steals the show.

Young striker steals the show.

Jesus Ferreira leads the Golden Boot race with nine goals in the USA’s Major League Soccer and is proving a prized asset for his club FC Dallas.

The Colombia-born striker, who is also credited with four assists, is the new attacking sensation of the USA national team, which has been in need of a striker in the lead-up to the World Cup in Qatar.

Ferreira's four-goal performance in the 5-0 win against Grenada last Friday was a welcome development and included a hat trick that came in the span of 13 minutes - the third-fastest in USA team history.

Ferreira’s American links are thanks to his father David Ferreira, who signed for FC Dallas 10 years ago but had only a short spell in MLS, largely inhibited by injury. But he left his family in Texas where Jesus grew up.

While his father played for Colombia, Jesus has elected to represent the Americans, first playing for them at under-23 level before winning his first cap just over a year ago. It’s a decision that now looks to be vindicated because the USA has qualified for the World Cup, whereas Colombia missed the cut.