Dru Yearwood banged home his first MLS goal against D.C. United on Saturday night, and he said he felt a weight come off his shoulders when he saw it hit the back of the net.
"It was a massive relief and massive weight just came off my shoulders," Yearwood said. "I could not believe that it went in -- usually they get blocked or the ball rolls under my foot or something -- so I’m happy it all went to plan."
Patryk Klimala won the ball along the touchline, battling for possession, before darting in toward the box and dishing it to the top of the 18 where Yearwood was making a run. Yearwood collected it and sent a low shot, through traffic and past the goalkeeper, to the bottom left corner of the goal.
Yearwood returned to the starting lineup following an extended absence from the team which saw him earning minutes in USL with Red Bulls II.
Following the goal, Yearwood waved the whole team over to the bench so he could celebrate with the entire squad.
"I think just the energy and the way they are with me is everything and they keep me going every day and they keep me going in games," Yearwood said. "They will cover for me, I’ll cover for them, they are just all my big and little brothers -- because some people are younger. I think we are all family and you saw in the celebration how happy everyone was and, yes, a moment I will never forget."
Despite coming away from the match with just one point, Yearwood knows this is a result that could help them as they move into a grueling stretch of the season which will see them play roughly 20 percent of their games in the next 22 days.
"This, today, this disappointment is a stepping stone and it is something to really build on," Yearwood said. "We are disappointed we did not get three, but it is definitely something that we can build on and going into this big week of a lot of games."
