Eddie Johnson says it was a great feeling to finally hit the back of the net for the USA against arch rivals Mexico.
The Seattle Sounders striker, who made his international debut in 2004, headed the US ahead in the 49th minute of their World Cup qualifier in Columbus on Tuesday night.
The US went on to win 2-0, courtesy of a late Landon Donovan goal, qualifying them for the 2014 World Cup and Johnson was revelling in the success upon returning to Sounders training on Thursday.
"Anytime you get the chance to wear the American shirt, you want to make the most of it because you never know when that chance might come again," the former Fulham and Cardiff City man told reports.
"It's funny because (Sounder teammate) Clint (Dempsey) and I both talked about how we both haven't scored against Mexico, whether it was a friendly or a World Cup qualifier.
"We were roommates (on this trip), so that was one of our motivations - to get that monkey off our back. It was a good game. It was everything it was built up to be."
He added: "But most important, it was good to qualify for the World Cup and get that off our backs, so we can relax now."
