THE KEI’S THE LIMIT
WHITECAPS believe big striker fits their needs
The Vancouver Whitecaps continue to reshape their attacking lineup for 2018, bringing in powerful striker in Kei Kamara in their second major move of the off-season.
There are two things to consider with this big signing: the Caps are banking on Kamara to provide a top-notch scoring touch, and how his designated player status affects their decision-making going forward.
Kamara had been playing for the New England Revolution for the past two Major League Soccer seasons.
The acquisition had been rumoured for a few days and it came to fruition Sunday with the opening of the MLS trade window.
Signing Kamara fits in well with how the Whitecaps set up their attack in 2017: lots of crosses into the box and a focus on dominating in the air.
“He’s a big body and he thrives off crosses,” Caps head coach Carl Robinson said of Kamara.
You may recall that the Whitecaps were interested in Kamara 1½ years ago, when many believed they were set to send Octavio Rivero to the Columbus Crew to obtain him. But in a late-night, topsy-turvy whoknows finale, Kamara ended up in New England.
To add Kamara, the Whitecaps sent New England their 2019 first round SuperDraft pick and a conditional 2020 second round SuperDraft pick. (If Kamara is dealt to another MLS team before the 2018 roster freeze in September, that pick becomes a first rounder.)
If the Whitecaps happen to sell Kamara to an overseas club before the 2018 MLS roster freeze, New England will received 50 per cent of the fee.
Given the Caps’ belief that they’re going to finish high up the table in 2018, it appears they believe they traded away a draft pick that wouldn’t return a significant player anyway.
Kamara, 33, scored a dozen goals in each of the last two seasons, following an outstanding 22-goal return to MLS in 2015 with Columbus.
Originally from Sierra Leone, his family moved to the United States as refugees when he was 16. He’s spent most of his career in MLS, having been drafted by Columbus in 2006. He spent parts of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons in England, playing for Norwich and then Middlesbrough.
Capped 25 times by Sierra Leone — he made his debut in 2008 — he’ll be a designated player, but won’t count as an international player as he’s an American citizen.
That DP status isn’t a guarantee either, since he’s making $800,000 next year. That makes him, like Brek Shea, in range of having targeted allocation money applied to his salary, dropping him below the DP threshold and allowing the Caps to pick up another DP.
To no one’s surprise, adding Kamara likely ends the Caps’ pursuit of Fredy Montero. The team and the Colombian striker had hoped to stay together, but with his Chinese club Tianjin TEDA asking a big fee, that seemed unlikely.
Rumours from Portugal suggest Sporting Lisbon are pursuing a renewal with Montero, who played there from 2013-16.
Nonetheless, the Caps reportedly remain hopeful they can land Montero for another year on loan. Tianjin paid more than $7 million to sign Montero from Sporting in 2016 and now they don’t really have a spot for him on their own roster.
But that also leaves Tianjin in a fix. If they can’t sell him to another club, they’ll be on the hook for his salary and not able to play him, since they’re already committed to three other overseas players.
And that’s where the small chance that the Caps can bring him back for another year plays in.