COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kei Kamara is the unquestioned focal point of the Columbus Crew attack, but the hulking forward is quick to admit that there is a lot more to the team’s successes than his barrage of goals.
The Sierra Leone native has scored 25 goals for the Columbus Crew in 2015, leading his side to the brink of its second MLS Cup title. For the Crew, Kamara’s importance has never been understated, but the forward’s mere presence may never be more uplifting than it would be on Sunday afternoon.
The Crew frontman went down on Saturday in training with a leg injury, and is a question mark for the MLS Cup Final. The loss of the team’s leading goal-scorer would prove to be a major hurdle to the Crew’s dreams of lifting the trophy on Sunday, but Kamara would surely be quick to tell you that the club has more weapons that can fill the gap.
“It’s not about me,” Kamara told the press in Columbus on Friday. “I scored a lot of goals this year, but there’s a lot of guys on the team that can score goals and have throughout the year, so if I don’t score it will be fine.
“We have a really good family around here. Overall, as a team, we did really good work to get here. The amount of work that we put in before pre-season tells a lot. There’s a lot of guys that everybody sees in the starting lineup, but everybody knows to play a role on this team.”
Heading into Sunday’s finale, the Portland Timbers know full well what Kamara brings to the table. Throughout the build-up, the Timbers have stressed the need to limit Kamara as much as possible, especially when it comes to his ability in the air.
Still, the Timbers know full well that it is virtually impossible to keep Kamara at bay for 90 minutes due to the physical and mental attributes that he brings to the table.
“Had Sebastian Giovinco not come into the league this year, I think Kei Kamara is hands down the MVP of the league,” said Timbers center back Nat Borchers. “He’s athletic, he’s fast, he can score goals. He’s one of the best center forwards in the league.”
“The thing about Kei is he’s got a soccer brain and he understands the game,” said Crew winger Justin Meram. “No one sees the stuff he says to me, but he helps my movement and helps my understanding in the game. He’s a leader, he’s a fighter, and he’s everything you want in a guy in front of you.”
Kamara signed up for his second stint with the Crew on October 7 of last year, returning to the league after time with Middlesbrough in the English Championship.
The striker initially joined the Crew in 2006, with the team selecting him ninth overall in the MLS SuperDraft. Since then, the journeyman striker had narrowly missed out on lifting an MLS Cup with three of his teams: the Crew, the Houston Dynamo, and Sporting Kansas City.
“One thing I noticed last year when I came to this team when they were in the playoffs was how committed everybody was, and how upset everybody was when the team didn’t make it through that round,” said Kamara.
“I missed out a few times with a few different teams,” Kamara added, “but it’s only better when you get to play in the MLS Cup final with the team that drafted you.”
Despite the extreme success he has found this season with the Crew, Kamara expressed his nerves still get worked up before each match.
“I’m not going to lie, I definitely think about [the final] every minute since the final whistle in New York,” said Kamara. “When I’m nervous I just dance. The more I dance the less I worry about it. Being at home with that crowd behind us, I’ll be ready in the right ways, and my nerves will turn into something good when it comes game time.
“We have to keep playing our game,” the forward added. “If we play our game it’ll show and if we get our goals, there’s nothing to really worry about. “