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Kamara parts ways with Middlesbrough by mutual consent

KeiKamaraSportingKC3-Crew (SportingKC)

By RYAN TOLMICH

Less than one year after joining the club, Kei Kamara is on his way out at Middlesbrough.

The English club announced Thursday that they had parted ways with the former MLS forward by mutual consent, ending a stint that began in September 2013. The 29-year-old Kamara made 24 appearances for the club and scored four goals.

“Middlesbrough Football Club have this evening parted company with Kei Kamara, whose contract has been cancelled by mutual consent,” the club said in an official statement. “The club would like to thank Kei for his efforts over the last 12 months and wish him every success in his future career.”

Now a free agent, Kamara is open to explore his options. He could sign with an MLS club by the roster freeze date on Sept. 15.

Prior to joining the Championship club, Kamara spent eight seasons in MLS, where he featured for the Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City.

The Sierra Leone native also made a brief stop at Norwich City, where he played in 2013 while on loan from Sporting KC.

What do you make of Kamara’s release? Would you like to see him back in MLS? Which club could most use him?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • Yeah but Kei’s notched 57 goals including one in the EPL in those years. Freddy has what, a couple dozen at best?

      Sorry… I get your point, but I’m an unabashed Kei fan. He DOES have a track record of not fitting in. It will surprise me if any coach other than Vermes can figure out how to use him AND keep him happy.

      Come back to KC, Kei… we’ll set you next to Dom and Zeus and use CJ and Soony for trades. (and please, on a tangent, can we cut Bieler already?)

      Reply
  1. This is really getting stupid when you don’t even know if your team even has a chance to get a player anymore. I’m all for the betterment of the league as a whole, but rules that are in place now are sooo striated and obtuse.

    How many different layers and categories do they have for players now?

    Reply
    • ..exactly. its like MLS is intentionally killing sports talk amongst its fans. Trades,signings etc. Are things fans should understand in order to have conversations…

      Also, i know theres some smart a_s thats goin 2 post the link to the rules from the MLS’ site.. Dont bother, its worthless.

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      • Although I am firmly in favor of retaining single entity structure including forms of league-level player-allocation, I agree completely with this statement. The need to justify the decisions with “rules” has become farcical. I wouldn’t mind if the league just went behind closed doors and said “here’s how it’s gonna be” rather than try to make people pick apart this ever-changing system of levers and pulleys. It isn’t worth the time because it will always be changed for the right opportunities. I don’t have a problem with this discretionary element of the process, just the bs need to create the illusion of something else.

    • Things have always been a bit mysterious ever since 1995. The salary cap was REALLY shoe string back then but at the same time MLS quietly had these “marquee players” even before the DB–er DP rule. The marquee players were guys like Carlos Valderama, Landon Donovan, and Eddie Johnson (Landy Cakes was making 900K in guaranteed compensation in 2006 and EJ was making $875K guaranteed that year) whose salaries didn’t seem to fit within the salary cap. However, in recent years I could not agree more, the “rules” have become a complete joke. I’m in favor of the single entity structure but I just can’t understand why teams can’t all be given a SET IN STONE salary cap and then be allowed to compete against each other to sign players within that cap. It makes no sense to me. If Lionel Messi wants to come play in MLS for the right price and if NYC, RBNY & LAG have already hit their limits then let Colorado and Montreal woo him with how great their city is and what kind of creative offer they want to make him. Montreal could lease him his own 737 with chartered pilot on call to fly him to Buenos Ares for all I care!

      Reply
  2. If he’s not a U.S. international whose salary is below “a certain threshold” why would he be subject to the allocation order? Far as I know each MLS team should be able to talk to Kamara directly (via the league office of course, and whatever quirky and mysterious procedures they establish for his specific case).

    Reply
  3. Found out about this yesterday. Heard that he’s positive about looking for playing time with a European club at the moment.

    If he returns to MLS, his first choice will ALWAYS be Sporting KC and no other. He loves the club and the city.

    Reply
  4. why did this happen? dude needs to stay in England and make that money $$$$

    still don’t get why he didn’t stay at Norwich. Sure he only had 1goal and 1 assist in like 10 games but he had 1 goal stolen by a teammmate and played well holding up the game especially as the club couldn’t score and he was on cheap wages

    Reply
  5. Ryan stated that he can sign with an MLS club. Would that mean he would go thru some type of allocation process or does Kei have the rights to sign with the club of his choosing.

    Reply
  6. As a returning MLS player sold for a transfer fee, he should be subject to allocation order. Or did those rules change recently as well.

    I hope he comes back to MLS. He was an exciting player to watch. If he’s reasonably fit, he could have a big impact on the playoff race.

    Reply

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