Way back on March 6, David Accam’s 2016 home season began vs. NYCFC with a goal and an assist, with the latter coming off his coy steal deep in opposing territory.
Nearly eight months later, in Sunday’s home finale, Accam again notched a goal and an assist and this time alertly swiped possession off the foot of New England goalkeeper Brad Knighton, resulting in a pivotal sending-off in the 73rd minute.
While his team’s results over the course of the long MLS season have not been to Accam’s liking, the two performances have bookended another strong campaign for the Fire’s game-changing Designated Player. He’s tallied nine MLS goals and five assists this year and, at 24 total goals in his two seasons in Chicago, has averaged better than a goal every other game (0.52/90) in 53 MLS and U.S. Open Cup appearances. Still, his influence on the team is often not reflected in the final stat sheet.
"When you can find him and he's so much faster, it relieves a lot of pressure," said Jonathan Campbell, the architect of Accam's game-winning goal vs. New England. "It allows us to get the whole team up which is huge, and he's great at taking his chances and finishing."
Absent from Chicago’s 2-2 draw with Columbus last Thursday, Accam didn’t need long to make his presence felt against a Revolution side eager to remain in the playoff hunt. His fancy footwork on the ball kick-started a ninth-minute scoring sequence that was capped by Michael de Leeuw’s professional finish.
Accam then spent most of the rest of the match causing headaches for the Revs’ back unit, never more so than when his sneak-attack on Knighton resulted in a desperate foul and red card that leveled the playing field at 10 men per side -- the fourth time in his career Accam has been responsible for an MLS opponent’s sending-off.
Only seven minutes later, Accam broke a 1-1 tie with a game-winner in the 80th minute, chasing down and converting Campbell's long service.
“I try to move in between the defenders,” Accam said of his ability to capitalize on chances like the one that ended in his ninth goal of 2016. “[New England] were trying to play offside so I had to move with them. Campbell did really well, he saw the pass early and he didn’t delay. For me it was all about the pass, I just ran toward the ball.”
Accam’s last two months have included a pair of call-ups to the Ghanaian National Team, perhaps giving the winger a little extra edge when he returns to league action. His drive to perform for his club -- where with a goal Sunday at Toronto FC (3 p.m. CT, CSN Chicago) he can become the first Fire player with back-to-back 10-goal seasons since Damani Ralph in 2003-04 -- can only help in his quest to increase his future role for the Black Stars.
“I was happy to be part of the team but I wasn’t happy with the [team] results,” he said, referring to a home draw vs. Uganda on Oct. 7. “At the moment I’m not in the first XI, that’s something I keep working toward. We have World Cup qualifying and also the African Cup coming up soon, so I still need to be in good shape and keep working hard. Wearing the national team colors is huge.”
Emboldened by past success and with plenty still to prove, a highly motivated David Accam remains as difficult an assignment to defend as there is in MLS.
“Confidence is high for me,” said Accam, who narrowly missed out on sealing Sunday’s win with a 90th-minute scoring chance. “When you go back to the national team, you see the level, you train with some of the best players in the country, you learn a lot. You come back and you want to show it here, you want to show that you are also the best player in the squad. That’s what I try to do.”
