Kamara has no love for Crew
Caps forward had falling out with Columbus in 2016, but still loves fans
Kei Kamara is all about the love. He loves the game, he loves his teammates, he flashes a heart symbol after he scores — the symbol of his charitable foundation that helps schoolchildren in his native Sierra Leone.
He also has love for Columbus, a city where he has family and legions of fans from his days playing there.
But his trademark megawatt smile dims when asked about the Crew, a team he acrimoniously parted ways with in 2016.
“No, no love for Columbus. Definitely no love,” he said, referring to the franchise. “But I’m excited to go back and play there. (I’m) happy go to back and play in that stadium again. There’s a lot of history.
“(I have) nothing to prove with them … It’s been a couple seasons, neither one of us have done anything since we both left. I don’t have anything to prove over there, but definitely getting a win would be great.”
That chance comes Saturday, when the Caps visit Mapfre Stadium to face the Crew (noon, CTV, TSN 5, TSN 1040). Coach Carl Robinson is sure fans of the Crew will be happy to see Kamara again.
“He was a hero there,” he said. “If Kei steps on the field at any time, whether it’s from the start of the game or off the bench, I’m sure they’ll give him the reception he deserves.”
Kamara’s time in Columbus, the team that drafted him ninth in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, famously came to an incendiary conclusion in 2016. A dispute over a penalty kick with teammate Federico Higuain boiled over to the post-game, when Kamara — who felt cheated of a chance at a hat trick — sounded off in the media, leading to a team suspension and trade just five days later.
Despite the optics of the situation, Kamara said he and Higuain, a player who created most of his shots, had settled things post-game, putting the game behind them long ago.
“I saw him in pre-season (in Hawaii), and we took some time to talk,” Kamara said. “We were teammates, no matter what happened in the past, the MLS is one big family. No matter what happens between players, you’re going to see each other again.”
The MLS may be a family, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t civil wars that pit brother against brother, or in the case of the Crew: fans against owner.
Vancouver Grizzlies fans will have some empathy for the situation in Columbus. Anthony Precourt bought the Crew in 2013, vowing not to move the team from Columbus, saying at the time: “It’s important to the Hunt family (the former owners) and Major League Soccer that the Crew remains in Columbus. We’re very committed to that. This city feels right.”
It apparently only felt right for about five years, as Precourt announced late last season he would move the team to Austin, Texas, unless a new stadium was built — with taxpayer money.
The fan backlash was huge, swift and immediate.
While Precourt’s company was
busy hosting receptions and giving away scarves in Austin, Crew fans were demonstrating loudly in Columbus. Attendance has dropped this season, with local fans feeling betrayed by both Precourt and MLS, though that smaller number could also be due to the team’s efforts to seemingly under- cut fan support.
The team’ history locally is long and deep. The Crew is one of the league’s 10 charter clubs, and Mapfre was one of the first soccer-specific stadiums in North America. It’s why the State of Ohio and City of Columbus were moved enough to file a joint lawsuit against MLS and Precourt to prevent the move.
Kamara can appreciate the fan support the Crew have, though while ranking near the bottom of MLS attendance, it had grown in the five seasons before last year.
“I’m a fan of the game. I’m a fan of soccer,” said Kamara. “When you can connect with your fan base and make them your family, then you know you’re playing for something. You’re not just playing for the team. It’s what really holds the team.
“But you don’t want to see anyone lose their team that they’ve supported for a long time. They do have some diehard fans that have been with the team since ’96, and I feel bad for them.”
When asked if the Crew should stay in Columbus, a little of Kamara’s humour returned.
“If I was the commissioner,” he smiled, exiting stage left through the media scrum Tuesday, “I’d probably move them to Vegas.”