David Accam’s night began when he came into Wednesday’s game in the 17th minute for the injured Ilsinho.
It ended with a moment Philadelphia Union fans will remember for a long time.
Mired in a season-long slump after being traded from the Chicago Fire to Philly in January, Accam scored his first goal of the season in thrilling fashion, slicing through his former club for the game-winner in the 95th minute to propel the Union to a huge 4-3 road win.
“I think every last-minute winner is amazing,” Accam told reporters after the match. “It was also my first goal this season. For me, I’ve worked really hard and I think this goal will rank high in my career.”
One of the most unlikeliest parts of Accam’s goal is that it came just moments after Bastian Schweinsteiger scored a game-tying stoppage time goal for the Fire, which would have been a dramatic ending in its own right.
But Union head coach Jim Curtin was proud that his team didn’t “lay down at 3-3 and try to get out of here with a point,” and was especially proud that Accam “stepped up in a big way” to bust out of his scoring drought at the perfect time.
“David did a lot of good things good even in the first 10 games of the year when he started; he just wasn’t on the scoresheet,” Curtin said. “For him to get a goal tonight was huge. I hope it’s a big boost for his confidence. … This is a big way to break out and I’m really happy for him. He stuck with things, worked hard in training to get back on the field and now puts in a performance where he gets the winner.”
Along with the acquisition of attacking midfielder Borek Dockal, Accam was the centerpiece of the Union’s offseason plans, with the team hoping he could follow up his 14-goal campaign in Chicago last year.
But before Wednesday’s game, Accam didn’t have a single goal or an assist in 16 appearances, and he had lost his starting spot on the right wing in May.
“I needed this to get going,” Accam said. “For me, I’m so happy to get this.”
The 27-year-old Ghanaian was also happy to get a nice reception from the Toyota Park crowd after he had three very productive seasons in Chicago. Those fans just weren’t clapping for him at the end of the game.
“Maybe I’m used to scoring goals here,” he laughed.
