A week after his father lost the battle with cancer, David Accam netted a first half brace while Ilsinho grabbed the insurance goal early in the second half as Philadelphia Union earned a near perfect 3-0 clean sheet victory Saturday night.
What an emotional night for Philadelphia Union fans and players it was Saturday. Despite missing five players who earned international call-ups, three others to injury, and their star player to an extended suspension, Head Coach Jim Curtin fielded a 16-man matchday roster and crushed Columbus in the process.
The scoring started early for Philadelphia after they established themselves tactically in the first half. The two main points of emphasis from Curtin were to contain veteran playmaker Federico Higuain (brother of international superstar Gonzalo Higuain) in the center of the pitch while remaining vigilant along the left side of the pitch where Columbus right back Harrison Afful roamed.
Often throughout the first half, Accam sagged far back to overload the right side of the pitch in hopes of clogging any build up play Afful could muster. That strategy worked very well as Accam provided a high defensive work rate in addition to his two-goal performance.
“We got a really big performance from David Accam,” said Curtin post game. “It was emotional for him as well for sure. We’re all rooting for David [Accam]. He’s gone through a lot both on the field and off the field. So for him to have a performance like he had tonight when we really needed it was big time. He really stepped up, not just because he scored two goals but his work rate defensively, I thought on the counter attack giving us time to breathe. Just a really top performance from David [Accam] and credit to him because he’s put a lot into the off-season coming back from injury and again really happy for him.”
Fans and media alike learned of Accam’s emotions post-match when he briefly interviewed with the broadcast booth. Accam mentioned he lost his father last week and that last night was all about his dad. “Tonight was very emotional for me. I lost my dad last week. So tonight was all about my dad. I know he was up there looking down on me. I am going to try and keep doing this for this team,” said Accam.
Accam earned his first start since last September and his 31st minute goal was his first since last July. His 35th career MLS goal snapped a Columbus shutout streak of over 200 minutes.
Accam fielded a beautiful from Fafa Picault before releasing a perfectly weighted right-footed shot to the far post which clanged off the woodwork and into the back of the net. Accam was overcome with emotion and collapsed in celebration as his teammates piled on his back.
Just 10 minutes later, Accam fielded a perfect pass from Haris Medunjanin just atop the box. He struggled a bit to get a good touch but eventually left two Columbus defenders in his wake as he rifled home the second goal. The two-goal performance was just his second multi-goal game of his MLS career.
“He’s been a true professional his entire time here,” said Curtin of Accam. “He wants to help and reward the fans and his teammates, and he did that tonight.”
Ilsinho tallied the third goal just three minutes into the second half. He rocketed a right-footed effort off the crossbar and in thanks to a great assist from none other than Accam. “Ilsinho gets one and Fafa [Picault] ran like crazy and was a pest all night and he deserved a goal but doesn’t get one,” said Curtin.
The forward combination of Accam and Picault turned out to be more than Columbus could handle. The speed the two of them possess caused havoc all night as Columbus struggled to find firm footing in Chester.
“We’re a team in that every guy has to be ready when they’re called upon and I thought that showed tonight. We probably had four or five different lineups selected throughout the course of the week. We were hoping for the best scenario, but we got the worst scenario in terms of who was missing. But before the game started, we talked about the 16 guys in this locker room doing whatever it takes to get three points tonight,” said Curtin. “It’s not about formations, it’s not about tactics, it’s not about any of that. It’s about finding a way in our home stadium to get three points and I give all the credit to the players tonight and for the effort they put in to keep a clean sheet.”
As impressive as the offense was the defense was even better. The backline is definitely one of the youngest in MLS but they’ve proven they have the capability of stifling opponents each week. One player in particular, Kai Wagner at left back, continues to earn praise each match for his relentless defense.
“He’s been excellent for us,” said Curtin of Wagner. “He’s been even more than I anticipated to be honest. “Kai [Wagner] has been a top performer for us in each game so far. He stepped up and made it look easy.”
Now Philadelphia will welcome those players on international duty back to training this week as they prep for FC Cincinnati. They’ll also welcome Marco Fabian back into the mix following the suspension while Jamiro Monteiro’s paperwork should clear any day now. The season is still young, but last night Philadelphia proved they’re more than capable of building on strong performances as they seek to jump up in the table.
PHILADELPHIA UNION STARTING XI:
Carlos Coronel, Ray Gaddis, Jack Elliot, Auston Trusty, Kai Wagner, Alejandro Bedoya, Haris Medunjanin, Ilsinho (75’ Olivier Mbaizo), Brenden Aaronson (81’ Anthony Fontana), David Accam, Fafa Picault
Substitutes: Matt Freese, Aurelien Collin, Mark McKenzie
COLUMBUS CREW SC STARTING XI:
Joe Bendik, Harrison Afful, Jonathan Mensah, Gaston Sauro, Hector Jimenez, Ricardo Clark, Artur (65’ Luis Argudo), Pedro Santos, Federico Higuain, Robinho (84’ Eduardo Sosa), Patrick Mullins (54’ Jerome Williams)
Substitutes: Jon Kempin, Josh Williams, Connor Maloney, Lalas Abubakar
GOALS / ASSISTS
31’ PHI David Accam (Fafa Picault, Haris Medunjanin)
41’ PHI David Accam
48’ PHI Ilsinho (David Accam)
YELLOW / RED CARDS
68’ YELLOW CLB – Jerome Williams (Unsporting Behavior)
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Matt McClain
Peace out Union fans!
Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports.
