Kei Kamara facts for kids
.jpg)
Kamara with Sierra Leone in 2022
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kei Ansu Kamara | ||
| Date of birth | 1 September 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Kenema, Sierra Leone | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Los Angeles FC | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2003 | Kallon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2005 | Orange County Blue Star | 19 | (16) |
| 2006–2007 | Columbus Crew | 36 | (5) |
| 2008 | San Jose Earthquakes | 12 | (2) |
| 2008–2009 | Houston Dynamo | 32 | (7) |
| 2009–2013 | Sporting Kansas City | 113 | (38) |
| 2013 | → Norwich City (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Middlesbrough | 25 | (4) |
| 2015–2016 | Columbus Crew | 41 | (27) |
| 2016–2017 | New England Revolution | 52 | (19) |
| 2018 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 28 | (14) |
| 2019–2020 | Colorado Rapids | 38 | (17) |
| 2020 | Minnesota United | 7 | (1) |
| 2021 | HIFK | 14 | (5) |
| 2022 | CF Montréal | 32 | (9) |
| 2023 | Chicago Fire | 27 | (5) |
| 2024– | Los Angeles FC | 27 | (3) |
| National team | |||
| 2008–2022 | Sierra Leone | 39 | (7) |
|
|||
Kei Ansu Kamara (born 1 September 1984) is a professional footballer from Sierra Leone. He plays as a striker for the Major League Soccer team Los Angeles FC. Kei Kamara is one of only 13 players to have scored 100 goals in MLS history. He reached this amazing goal in 300 games. He is currently second on the MLS all-time scoring list. He has scored goals for 11 different MLS clubs, which is a record!
Contents
- Kei Kamara's Early Life and Football Journey
- Kei Kamara's Club Career Highlights
- Kei Kamara's International Career
- Kei Kamara's Personal Life
- Kei Kamara's Career Statistics
- Kei Kamara's Awards and Achievements
- See also
Kei Kamara's Early Life and Football Journey
Kei Kamara was born and grew up in Kenema, which is Sierra Leone's third-largest city. He started playing football as a child. Football was a way for him to find joy during the Sierra Leone Civil War. When he was 16, Kamara and his family moved to the United States as refugees. They first went to Maryland, then settled in Hawthorne, California. He became an American citizen in 2006. Before moving to the US, he played for Kallon F.C. from 2001 to 2003.
Kamara also played college soccer at California State University, Dominguez Hills. In his second year, he was named one of the best college players in the country. He also played for Orange County Blue Star for two seasons in the USL Premier Development League.
Kei Kamara's Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in MLS (2006–2009)
Kei Kamara was picked by Columbus Crew in the first round of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He played for Columbus for two seasons, appearing in 36 games and scoring 5 goals.
In 2008, he was traded to San Jose Earthquakes. He played 12 games there and scored 2 goals. Later that year, Kamara was traded to Houston Dynamo. On 30 September 2008, he scored two goals for Houston against a Mexican club in a CONCACAF Champions League match.
Time with Sporting Kansas City
On 15 September 2009, Kamara joined Sporting Kansas City. He had many successful seasons with this team. He became known as one of the best wingers in the league.
Playing in England: Norwich City (Loan)
In 2013, Kamara was loaned to Norwich City in the English Premier League. He made his debut for Norwich on 9 February 2013. On 23 February, he scored his first goal for Norwich with a powerful header against Everton. This goal helped Norwich win 2–1.
Kamara quickly became a fan favorite at Norwich because of his exciting style of play. Even though fans loved him, Norwich decided not to sign him permanently. He returned to Sporting Kansas City in May 2013.
Moving to Middlesbrough
On 2 September 2013, Kamara signed a two-year contract with Middlesbrough in the Football League Championship. He made his debut on 14 September. He scored his first goal for Middlesbrough on 17 September against Nottingham Forest. He continued to score in his next home games. In August 2014, Kamara and Middlesbrough decided to end his contract early.
After leaving Middlesbrough, Kamara tried to join Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, he faced challenges with his work permit, so the move did not happen.
Returning to Columbus Crew
In October 2014, Kei Kamara returned to Columbus Crew SC. He officially joined the team in January 2015.
In the 2015 MLS season, he helped Columbus reach the play-offs. He finished as the joint top-scorer in the league with 22 goals. He also won the MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2015 for his good deeds off the field. In the MLS Playoffs, he scored two goals against Montreal Impact, helping Columbus reach the Eastern Conference finals. He also scored in the MLS Cup Final, but Columbus lost 2–1. Kamara was the top-scorer in the 2015 MLS Playoffs with 4 goals.
In 2016, a disagreement happened between Kamara and a teammate over a penalty kick. Because of this, he was suspended for the next game.
Playing for New England Revolution
On 12 May 2016, Kamara was traded to New England Revolution. He made his debut for New England on 14 May 2016. He scored his first goal for the team in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup on 29 June. On 2 July, he scored two goals in an MLS game. His first goal in that match was his 80th career goal, making him one of only 16 players in MLS history to reach this milestone. He finished the 2016 season with 12 goals.
On 2 September 2017, Kamara scored his first MLS hat trick (three goals in one game) against Orlando City. His first goal in that game was his 100th career goal, making him only the 12th player in MLS history to score 100 goals. He was the top scorer for the Revolution in the 2017 season with 12 goals.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Colorado Rapids
In December 2017, Kamara was traded to Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He scored in his very first game for them on 4 March 2018. He left Vancouver at the end of the 2018 season.
On 11 December 2018, Kamara was selected by FC Cincinnati and then immediately traded to Colorado Rapids. On 3 August 2019, he scored his second career hat-trick for the Colorado Rapids. This was the ninth hat-trick in the team's history.
Minnesota United and HIFK Fotboll
On 18 September 2020, Kamara was traded to Minnesota United. On 3 October 2020, he scored a penalty kick against FC Cincinnati. This made him the first MLS player to score for eight different teams! No other player had scored for more than six teams before him.
On 30 July 2021, Kamara signed with HIFK Fotboll in Finland.
CF Montréal and Chicago Fire
In February 2022, Kamara returned to North America and joined CF Montréal. On 2 April, he scored his first goal for CF Montréal. This made him the first MLS player to score for nine different teams! On 20 August, Kamara scored his 135th MLS goal, moving him up to third-highest scorer in MLS history.
Kamara was traded to the Chicago Fire before the 2023 season. On 25 March, he scored a late goal against Inter Miami. This made him the first player to score for 10 clubs in the MLS. He also became the first player in MLS history to score in 16 different seasons!
Los Angeles FC
On 29 March 2024, Kamara signed with Los Angeles FC. This made him the oldest active player in the top US league. On 8 May, he scored his first goal for Los Angeles FC. This made him the only player to have scored for 11 different MLS teams during his career in the United States.
On 19 June, Kamara scored his first MLS goal for Los Angeles FC. This was his 145th MLS goal, tying him with Landon Donovan for second-most goals in MLS history. In the next game on 22 June, he scored his 146th MLS goal, passing Donovan to become the second-highest goalscorer in league history! Only Chris Wondolowski has scored more (171 goals). On 4 July, at 39 years and 10 months old, he became the oldest scorer in "El Tráfico" history (a big rivalry game).
Kamara was one of the top scorers in the 2024 Leagues Cup with three goals. He helped Los Angeles FC reach the Leagues Cup Final for the first time. On 25 September, Kamara played in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup final. He scored a header in extra-time, helping his team win 3–1. At 40 years and 24 days old, he became the oldest player and oldest scorer in an Open Cup final since MLS started in 1996.
Kei Kamara's International Career
Kei Kamara has played for the Sierra Leone national team since 2008. He was temporarily not part of the national team in August 2019 but was called back later that month. He announced his retirement from international duty in November 2019. However, he later returned to the national team. On 12 June 2021, Kamara scored the only goal for Sierra Leone in a victory against Benin. This goal helped Sierra Leone qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which was their first time since 1996!
On 21 April 2022, Kamara announced his retirement from international football again. But he came out of retirement for a second time in November 2024, at 40 years old, to play against Chad.
Kei Kamara's Personal Life
Kei Kamara became a U.S. citizen in 2006. He is married and has three children.
Kei Kamara's Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Orange County Blue Star | 2004 | PDL | 5 | 4 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | ||
| 2005 | 14 | 12 | – | 14 | 12 | |||||||
| Total | 19 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 17 | ||
| Columbus Crew | 2006 | MLS | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 3 | ||
| 2007 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 5 | ||
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2008 | MLS | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 2 | ||
| Houston Dynamo | 2008 | MLS | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 5 |
| 2009 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 6 | ||
| Total | 32 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 11 | ||
| Kansas City Wizards/Sporting Kansas City | 2009 | MLS | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 10 | ||||
| 2011 | 30 | 9 | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 0 | 35 | 10 | |||
| 2012 | 33 | 11 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | 0 | 37 | 12 | |||
| 2013 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 8 | ||
| Total | 113 | 38 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 124 | 41 | ||
| Norwich City (loan) | 2012–13 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 1 | ||
| Middlesbrough | 2013–14 | Championship | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 4 | ||
| Columbus Crew | 2015 | MLS | 32 | 22 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 4 | 37 | 26 | |
| 2016 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 46 | 31 | ||
| New England Revolution | 2016 | MLS | 21 | 7 | 5 | 2 | – | – | 26 | 9 | ||
| 2017 | 31 | 12 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 52 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 21 | ||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 2018 | MLS | 28 | 14 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 31 | 17 | ||
| Colorado Rapids | 2019 | MLS | 29 | 14 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 14 | ||
| 2020 | 9 | 3 | – | – | – | 9 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 38 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 17 | ||
| Minnesota United FC | 2020 | MLS | 7 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | ||
| HIFK | 2021 | Veikkausliiga | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 5 | ||
| CF Montréal | 2022 | MLS | 32 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 9 |
| Chicago Fire FC | 2023 | MLS | 27 | 5 | 3 | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | 31 | 6 | |
| Los Angeles FC | 2024 | MLS | 27 | 3 | 4 | 2 | – | 9 | 3 | 40 | 8 | |
| Career total | 514 | 173 | 30 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 27 | 10 | 584 | 196 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | 2008 | 5 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 39 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Sierra Leone's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kamara goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 June 2012 | National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone |  São Tomé and Príncipe |
1–1 | 4–2 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 3–1 | |||||
| 3 | 6 September 2014 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Ivory Coast |
1–0 | 1–2 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 3 September 2016 | Stade Bouaké, Bouaké, Ivory Coast | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 5 | 8 September 2019 | National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone |  Liberia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 15 June 2021 | Stade du 28 Septembre, Conakry, Guinea |  Benin |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7 | 9 October 2021 | Stade El Abdi, El Jadida, Morocco |  Gambia |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Kei Kamara's Awards and Achievements
Sporting Kansas City
- Eastern Conference (Regular Season Champion): 2011, 2012
- U.S. Open Cup: 2012
Columbus Crew
- Eastern Conference (Playoffs Champion): 2015
Los Angeles FC
- U.S. Open Cup: 2024
Individual Awards
- MLS Fair Play Award: 2007
- Sierra Leonean Player of the Year: 2012
- MLS Joint Top-scorer: 2015 (22 goals, tied with Sebastian Giovinco)
- MLS All-Star: 2015, 2023
- MLS Works Humanitarian of the Year: 2015
- MLS Best XI: 2015
- MLS Cup Playoffs Top-scorer: 2015
- MLS 100 goals club
- MLS 400 Games Club
See also
In Spanish: Kei Kamara para niños
