BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Kei Ansu Kamara (/ˈkaɪ kəˈmɑrə/; born 1 September 1984) is a Sierra Leonean footballer who plays as a forward forMiddlesbrough in the English Football League Championship.
Early life
Kamara was born and raised in Kenema, Sierra Leone's third largest city, and began his career playing for Kallon F.C. from 2001-2003. At age 16, Kamara and his family migrated to the United States through a refugee program, and settled with relatives in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles.[1]
Kamara played college soccer at California State University Dominguez Hills, where, in his sophomore season, he was named third-team All-American. Kamara also spent two seasons with Orange County Blue Star in the USL Premier Development League.
Major League Soccer
Kamara was chosen by Columbus Crew ninth overall at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. Prior to the 2008 season, he was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for Brian Carroll. On 24 July 2008, Kamara was traded to the Houston Dynamo for a draft pick and allocation money. On 30 September 2008, Kamara scored two goals for MLS champion Houston Dynamo against Mexican club UNAM Pumas in a CONCACAF Champions Leaguematch.
On 15 September 2009, Kamara was traded to Sporting Kansas City for Abe Thompsonand allocation money. Kamara had several productive seasons with Kansas City which saw him become one of the most imposing wingers in the league.[2]
Norwich City
Kamara was a transfer target of Norwich City of the English Premier League during the winter 2013 transfer window,[3]following an unsuccessful trial at Stoke City earlier in the off-season.[4] It was announced on 30 January 2013 that Kamara was signed on loan by Norwich for the remainder of the 2012–13 Premier League season. Norwich had the option for a pre-negotiated permanent transfer or to return Kamara to Sporting at the end of the season, in which case Kamara would miss the first 10 matches of the MLS season. As part of the deal, Kamara's contract with Major League Soccer was extended.[4]Norwich City announced on 5 February that Kamara was granted a visa, making him legally eligible to play for the club.[5]Kamara made his league debut for Norwich as an 86th minute substitute in a 0–0 draw with Fulham on 9 February 2013. His performance during his cameo appearance was described as a "...promising glimpse of Kamara's potential..." On the next matchday, 23 February 2013, Kamara came on as a 58th minute substitute. In the 84th minute of that match, Kamara scored his first goal for Norwich City, equalising 1–1 against Everton with a powerful header at Carrow Road, in an eventual 2–1 victory after Grant Holt scored in injury time.[6][7] Kamara assisted team-mate Wes Hoolahan in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland, as Kamara's header past the goalkeeper was deflected into the net by Wes who was stood on the goal-line. Kamara later claimed the only reason he did not claim the goal as his own was that it was St. Patrick's Day, and he and Irishman Hoolahan had an Irish dance celebration planned.
Kamara quickly became a fan favourite of the Norwich support for his enthusiastic and flamboyant style of play, with some fans composing songs to recognise their new-found hero. Despite this, Kamara did not score any more in a Norwich shirt and Norwich declined the option of taking him on a permanent transfer.
Major League Soccer[edit]
On 4 May 2013 Norwich City confirmed the loan deal had ended and he would be returning to Sporting Kansas City immediately.[8]
Middlesbrough[edit]
On 2 September 2013 it was confirmed that Kamara had signed for Middlesbrough F.C. of the Football League Championship[9] for a fee of £900,000.[10] Kamara made his debut for the club on 14 September 2013 coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 1-3 loss to Ipswich Town.[11] On 17 September 2013, Kamara made his first start and scored his first goal for Boro in a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest F.C..[12] He followed up his first goal against Forest by scoring on his home debut, a 3-3 draw against Bournemouth four days later.[13] He then scored on 5 October 2013 in a 4-1 win at home to Yeovil Town. On 25 October 2013 he scored in a 4-0 win at home to Doncaster Rovers.
International
Kamara made his debut for the Sierra Leone national football team, commonly referred to as the Leone Stars, on 5 September 2010, during a 1–1 draw with Egypt in Sierra Leone's first group stage match in qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Kamara has since formed a regular partnership up front with fellow Kenema native Mohamed Kallon in the Leone Stars attack.
International goals
- Scores and results list Sierra Leone's goal tally first.
| # | 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. | 8 June 2013 | National Stadium, Freetown, Sierra Leone |  Tunisia | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Individual
- Sierra Leonean Player of The Year: 2012[14]
- Major League Soccer Fair Play Award (1): 2007
Sporting Kansas City
- Major League Soccer Eastern Conference Regular Season Championship (2): 2011, 2012
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1): 2012
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