A lot of players travel during the offseason, but David Accam’s travel involved more work than most others because he was pushing to make the Ghanaian national team.

Accam was in camp with the national team ahead of the African Cup of Nations, a tournament currently underway in Gabon. The Chicago Fire winger trained in Denmark ahead of the camp to try to get ready for the tournament, but was one of the last players to be cut from the team.

“I trained with the national team for a week or two,” Accam said on Friday. “Then obviously I didn’t make the cup, but for me I had a good workout and also spending quality time with my family home."

Accam also spent some of his offseason babysitting a newborn niece while back home with his family.

He has played five times for Ghana, including in World Cup qualifiers last year, but has yet to crack the roster as a regular on the team. He still said being in camp was a positive experience.

“Of course I enjoyed it,” Accam said. “Every time you are with the guys you enjoy it. You train with some of the best players in the country and you learn a lot from the players and also from the technical team.”

Accam said he watched all three of Ghana’s group games. The Black Stars advanced to the quarterfinals and will play against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday. He is optimistic about the team’s chances to make the final.

[MORE FIRE: New additions put Matt Polster's role with the Fire into question]Making the roster for the African Cup of Nations was a goal for Accam, but he will likely have more chances with the national team.

“Obviously I was really disappointed, but that’s part of the game,” he said. “For me not to make the AfCoN is a big disappointment for me because I wanted to go to AfCoN, that’s huge for any African player, but obviously that’s a positive sign for me to come and have a good preseason for Chicago Fire.”

Accam is entering his third season with the Fire. He has scored 19 goals in two seasons with the Fire, but has missed 10 games each year mostly due to injuries. He is hoping to improve on his previous two years with the Fire.

“Personally I just want to get fitter and stronger and do better than I did in the last three years that I’ve been here,” Accam said. “For me I know it’s going to be a huge, huge, huge season for me and also for the team. There’s a lot to work on this season.”