Whitecaps lose Kamara long-term
Vancouver striker to miss several weeks with a groin injury
VANCOUVER (CP) — The Vancouver Whitecaps will have to pull themselves out of a two-game losing skid without the services of star striker Kei Kamara.
Head coach Carl Robinson said Kamara will miss at least the next three Major League Soccer games due to a groin injury. Kamara probably won’t be back in the Whitecaps’ lineup until a May 11 game against the Houston Dynamo at BC Place Stadium.
“It’s not ideal,” Robinson said after the Whitecaps’ practice on Monday. “Any team that loses a key player, and Kei is a key player for us, is going to be affected.
“Losing Kei is a big blow, but we have to find solutions now to deal without him.”
Venezuelan striker Anthony Blondell, who missed the last game due to concussion, is expected to replace Kamara when the Whitecaps play Sporting Kansas City on the road Friday.
Kamara suffered the injury with about five minutes left in training last Thursday. He didn’t dress for Vancouver in a 2-0 loss against Los Angeles FC on Friday night at BC Place.
“When I went down, it was kind of a shock to myself,” said Kamara. “I feel a lot better today than when I first went down like I had been hit by a sniper.”
The 33-year-old from Sierra Leone was one of the Whitecaps’ biggest off-season acquisitions when he was obtained in a trade from New England. In 12 MLS seasons, he’s scored 101 goals. In five games this year with Vancouver, Kamara has scored three goals and assisted on two others.
The Whitecaps struggled to produce offence Friday night without Kamara on the field. Frustrated fans booed as the players left the field after the match.
“I was as disappointed as every one of those supporters in the stadium,” said Robinson. “We were disappointed. We will get back to work.”
Bob Lenarduzzi, the Whitecaps president, dismissed any suggestion that Robinson’s job was in danger.
“The idea of Carl’s job being in jeopardy, that’s not even something that has crossed our minds,” said Lenarduzzi.