Photo by Ron Chenoy / USA Today Sports Images 

By ADAM TROXTELL

Kei Kamara is a man on fire.

The Columbus Crew front man now has five goals in five games after scoring twice in a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday. The Rapids had taken the lead in the first half before Kamara struck as the Crew took charge in the final 45 minutes.

Kamara equalized within 10 minutes of the second half, firing the ball in off of a diagonal pass from Tony Tchani. He was denied on a header before finally dispatching the winner from the middle of the box in the 64th minute.

Those goals canceled out the opener from Rapids defender Bobby Burling, who in contrast scored just his third goal of his career by heading home from the middle of the box in the 42nd minute.

The comeback secured the Crew just their second road victory of the season, placing them in second in the Eastern Conference. The Rapids remain bottom of the West with a second consecutive defeat.

Kamara nearly benefited from the Crew’s early enthusiasm within the first 15 minutes, sneaking in to get a toe to the ball as it bounced between Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin and Burling. The central defender was quick, though, racing back to block Kamara’s shot.

Soon after, Kamara was at it again. This time he sent a header off of the cross bar before attacking partner Federico Higuain did the same on the rebound. Irwin was able to recover by then.

Things settled down, and the Rapids stepped forward in the void. Vicente Sanchez sent a free kick into the middle of the box, where Burling appeared to hang in the air as he powered a header inside the left post for the lead with just three minutes remaining in the first half.

That held until halftime, but the visitors turned the tables soon after. In space just outside the area, Tchani played a ball through for Kamara that required just one, albeit powerful, touch to fire past Irwin for the 52nd minute equalizer.

Just over 10 minutes later, Kamara had goal 17 of the season and the lead. Following a header that forced Irwin into a one-armed saved, the Crew recycled the ball back to right back Hector Jimenez. He rolled it across goal where Kamara was quickest to react and poked it home.

The action wasn’t all at Irwin’s end. Just before the Crew equalized, Steve Clark was forced into action after Charles Eloundou got too much space inside the area.

Clark was also required to preserve the lead late, stopping Dillon Serna’s low strike in the 86th minute before Gabriel Torres was called offside on the rebound.

Axel Sjoberg particularly struggled to cope with Kamara in the second half. The defender picked up two yellow cards for an early shower in stoppage time, with both fouls committed on the Crew front man.

The Rapids must now recover on a trip to San Jose this Friday in a battle between Western Conference strugglers. The Crew stay at home to face New York City FC on Wednesday.