BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – After missing three of the first four games of the season through injury and international duty, it comes as little surprise that the Chicago Fire’s recent resurgence has coincided with the return to action of Ghanaian international David Accam.
After picking up a groin injury in preseason Accam finally made his MLS debut when he was introduced as a halftime substitute in the 2-1 defeat at the hands of the San Jose Earthquakes. He followed that up with a stirring performance in the team's 3-2 win over Toronto FC, and his return has created quite the buzz around Toyota Park with the Fire now on a two-game winning streak after dropping their first three.
“He’s only really gotten one full game, and he’d say he’s still not totally match fit, but his threat of speed is just crazy,” teammate Harry Shipp said of the lightning-quick 24-year-old. “How much he sucks guys over and creates more room for guys like me and Shaun [Maloney] underneath, and his ability to stretch defenses is not something we had last year, especially on the outside, and it gives a nice balance to me on the other side.”
“It looks like he’s enjoying it, he’s only played the one full game, and he’s still got a ways to go to get into his full stride,” head coach Frank Yallop admitted. “He could have scored a hat trick on the weekend, to be honest with you. But I’m really happy with his acquisition for us.”
Finalizing Accam's acquisition proved to be a long and difficult process as the Fire faced stiff competition for the player’s services, with several European clubs rumored to be in the hunt for the attacker after a standout couple of years with Swedish top-flight side Helsingborg, where he scored 30 goals in 62 games.
However, the persistent efforts of Yallop and Technical Director Brian Bliss swayed Accam’s decision towards a move to the Chicago Fire and MLS.
“We got wind that he might be available in October or November, that his club might be trying to sell him in the window,” Yallop told MLSsoccer.com this week when asked about the scouting behind Accam’s move. “Brian Bliss saw him live, I didn’t get a chance to because the season was over, but we watched enough [scouting service] Wyscout, and made enough phone calls to people that I trust to check what they think about him.
“There was a lot of interest in him at the time, but I went over and spoke to him and his agent to try to convince him. It was on and off for quite a while and he had other offers to look at, but it was great that he decided to choose us. I think we did a pretty good job of selling the club to him, which is important.”
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Accam highlighted the pivotal role played by Yallop and the Fire management in persuading him to come to Chicago, and in an interview with Ghanaian show “New Day” shortly after his signing in December, he admitted: “For me, I had a lot of offers on the table and it wasn’t easy to choose Chicago Fire, but their commitment and the respect they showed me was the main reason I chose them. Even though there was a lot of teams offering me more money, but the commitment was put in and they really needed me, so I have to choose them."
“You need to go to a team where they really need you and be the key player on the team, and that was the main reason I chose Chicago Fire,” he added.
If Accam’s devastating impact against Toronto on his first start is anything to go by, the future looks bright for both player and club. His speed, coupled with a deft touch and a teak-tough mentality, already has some of his teammates excited about what could lay ahead.
“He’s an incredibly fast player that is going to put defenses on the back foot for most of the game,” captain Jeff Larentowicz acknowledged. “Even when we’re trying to take a break off another team’s attack he’s always available for us to relieve that pressure, but even when we’re in the build-up we know he’s going to get on the ball and create chances. At the end of the game you could see he was still going, he’s hungry to attack, which is great.”
Shane Murray covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com.
