Accam striving for Ghana first team role

Chicago Fire attacker David Accam has set his sights on breaking into Ghana's starting XI after two years of international football.

The 26-year-old made his debut in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Uganda in 2014, and after nine appearances and a goal, the speedster has been nothing but a squad player.

He watched from the bench as Ghana were held by Uganda in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, and was a second half substitute in the 1-1 friendly draw with South Africa four days later.

“I was happy to be part of the team but I wasn’t happy with the [team] results.

"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. Confidence is high for me.

"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.”

Accam's bit-part role at his national side is a stark contrast to his club status, having so far netted 19 Major League Soccer goals in 47 outings for Fire since 2015.

He's expected to be listed in Ghana's squad for the crunch World Cup qualifier against Egypt next month.