Whitecaps acquire striker Kamara in trade with New England

Kei Kamara, come on down.

The Vancouver Whitecaps have a new striker in the fold, acquiring the veteran MLS player in a trade with the New England Revolution. New England will receive Vancouver’s 2019 natural first round SuperDraft pick and a conditional 2020 second round selection as part of the deal.

Whitecaps FC always seem to be in search of goals.

While they finished mid-pack in the league in goals in 2017, they were shut down in both legs in their playoff matchup against Seattle. They’re hoping Kamara, a 6-foot-3 forward, can add another dimension to their attack.

The 33-year-old is a proven MLS goal scorer, ranking 10th all-time with 98 career regular season goals with Columbus, San Jose, Houston, Kansas City, and New England. A native of Sierra Leone, he has American citizenship and counts as a domestic player.

Kamara, who was heavily rumoured to be coming to Vancouver last year, will occupy a Designated Player roster spot and is under contract through 2018.

“Kei is a player that brings goals and experience to the table,” said head coach Carl Robinson. “He’s a big body and he thrives off crosses. Most importantly, he’s a good character and he’s driven to win. We firmly believe that Kei can help lead this team into exciting times next year.”

A two-time MLS All-Star, Kamara was a finalist for the 2015 MVP award. He led the league in goals, including playoffs, helping his team to an MLS Cup Finals appearance.

Hello Vancouver 😁 pic.twitter.com/3moNIStTuY

— KEI KAMARA (@keikamara) December 10, 2017

“I’m really excited to come to Vancouver,” said Kamara. “I’ve been following the club, and I know that they have a very competitive team that suits the way I play. I want to put pressure on myself to continue to score goals. Most importantly, I want to bring success to the Southsiders, Curva Collective, Rain City Brigade, and all the supporters and fans of this club.”

We would like to welcome @keikamara to the @WhitecapsFC. Members of our supporters group chatted with him back in 2016 and had a feeling he wanted to be in Vancouver. Welcome Kei!! #VWFC #WhitecapsFC pic.twitter.com/TbY6HgZWnr

— Vancouver Southsiders (@Southsiders) December 10, 2017

Kamara is the second striker the Whitecaps have acquired in the last 10 days, joining 23-year-old Anthony Blondell, who is making the move from Venezuela.

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