David Accamās night began when he came into Wednesdayās 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.
āI think every last-minute winner is amazing,ā Accam told reporters after the match. āIt was also my first goal this season. For me, Iāve worked really hard and I think this goal will rank high in my career.ā
One of the most unlikeliest parts of Accamās 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 didnāt ālay down at 3-3 and try to get out of here with a point,ā and was especially proud that Accam āstepped up in a big wayā to bust out of his scoring drought at the perfect time.
āDavid did a lot of good things good even in the first 10 games of the year when he started; he just wasnāt on the scoresheet,ā Curtin said. āFor him to get a goal tonight was huge. I hope itās a big boost for his confidence. ā¦ This is a big way to break out and Iām 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.ā
Along with the acquisition of attacking midfielder Borek Dockal, Accam was the centerpiece of the Unionās offseason plans, with the team hoping he could follow up his 14-goal campaign in Chicago last year.
But before Wednesdayās game, Accam didnāt have a single goal or an assist in 16 appearances, and he had lost his starting spot on the right wing in May.
āI needed this to get going,ā Accam said. āFor me, Iām so happy to get this.ā
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 werenāt clapping for him at the end of the game.
āMaybe Iām used to scoring goals here,ā he laughed.