Tim Cahill has shrugged off the disappointment of missing the Socceroos' final World Cup match against Spain to help his New York Red Bulls outfit snatch a late equaliser against Toronto in the MLS.
The 34 year-old came on for the final 15 minutes with his side trailing 2-1 and it was his trademark header which allowed teammate Bradley Wright-Phillips to level the scores deep into stoppage time.
The Socceroo only arrived in New York 48 hours prior to the game but said he was determined to contribute despite a difficult World Cup campaign.
"I spoke with the boss and he said "will you be available" and I said of course I'll be available, and here we are tonight, got fifteen minutes, or whatever it was and just happy to be able to contribute to the team's result today," he told newyorkredbulls.com.
Red Bulls coach Mike Petke said he wanted the fans to pay tribute to Cahill's World Cup exploits but didn't expect to inject him into the game as early as he did.
"I was hoping to bring Tim on in the 88th minute, up 3-0 so the fans could clap him for the wonderful World Cup he had," he said.
"Obviously things change with the score, with the way the game went and we felt to bring Tim on for 15-20 minutes perhaps something could happen and obviously it did at the end."
Cahill admitted it was difficult to return to the MLS after a tough World Cup campaign but insists he is satisfied with his performance in Brazil.
"I suppose it's tough to an extent, but it's something I've done my whole career," he said.
"I think the best thing, more than anything, was my decision to come to the MLS, to play internationally in my third World Cup, and the calculated decision being great domestically.
"The league, the club, the fans, the success we had last season now looking for more success, and on top of that, having two of the best moments in my footballing history with a goal against Chile, and one against the Netherlands."