CHICAGO (Feb. 24, 2023) – Chicago Fire FC today announced that the Club has acquired forward Kei Kamara (pronounced: kye kuh-MAR-uh) from CF Montréal through the 2023 season. In exchange, Montréal will receive $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) split across two seasons, receiving $125,000 in 2023 and $125,000 in 2024. CF Montréal could receive an additional $150,000 in conditional GAM if certain performance-based incentives are met.
“We are excited to welcome Kei Kamara to the Fire,” said Chicago Fire FC Sporting Director Georg Heitz. “Kei has shown throughout his career that he can consistently produce goals in MLS, including this past season with CF Montréal. Not only will he help to make us more dangerous in the attacking third, but he will bring experience and leadership to the squad. Kei will be an important addition to the team as we continue to build the squad for the 2023 season.”
A 16-year MLS veteran, Kamara has played in 391 regular season matches, logging 313 starts and 28,668 minutes played. During that time, Kamara scored 139 goals and registered 54 assists. His 139 goals are ranked as the third-most in MLS history, and Kamara currently has the most goals in League history among all active players. Additionally, he is one of 10 players in MLS history and the only active player to have scored more than 100 regular season goals in his career.
He joins the Fire after spending the 2022 campaign with Montréal, where he notched nine goals and seven assists in 1,551 regular season minutes played. Helping to lead Montreal to a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2022, Kamara’s nine goals were the second-most on the team last season, while his seven assists were tied for a team high.
Kamara began his MLS career with the Columbus Crew as the ninth overall draft pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, where he played alongside Chicago Fire Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson. Following two seasons (2006, 2007) in Ohio, Kamara crossed the country to play with the San Jose Earthquakes and the Houston Dynamo in 2008 and 2009.
Kamara then played with Sporting Kansas City from 2009-2013, winning the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy, before returning to the Columbus Crew in 2015. During his return to Columbus, Kamara scored a career-high 22 goals in the 2015 season, ranking tied for the most goals in the League with Sebastian Giovinco, while also helping to lead the Crew to another MLS Cup appearance.
Following his time in Columbus, Kamara would feature for the New England Revolution (2016-17), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2018), Colorado Rapids (2019-20), Minnesota United FC (2020) and Montréal (2022).
In addition to a wealth of experience in MLS, Kamara’s career also includes stops in Europe. During the winter of 2013, Kamara was loaned to English Premier League club Norwich City and later signed with Championship side Middlesborough, playing in 25 matches and scoring four goals in the English second division. He returned to Europe in 2021 for a stint with KIFK of the Finnish Veikkausliiga, where he played 14 games (14 starts) and scored five goals.
The Sierra Leonean international has played 39 matches with Sierra Leone from 2010-2022. Most recently, Kamara featured for his country in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, playing in all three Group E matches against Algeria, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea. It was Kamara’s goal in the 1-0 victory against Benin on June 12, 2021, that secured Sierra Leone’s qualification to the tournament for the first time since 1996.
Transaction: Chicago Fire FC trades $125,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money and $125,000 in 2024 General Allocation Money to CF Montréal for forward Kei Kamara. CF Montréal could receive an additional $150,000 in conditional GAM if certain performance-based incentives are met. Kamara’s contract with the Fire will run through the 2023 season.
Name: Kei Kamara (pronounced: kye kuh-MAR-uh)
Position: Forward
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 190 lbs.
Date of Birth: September 1, 1984
Hometown: Kenema, Sierra Leone
Birthplace: Kenema, Sierra Leone
Citizenship: Sierra Leone
Last Club: CF Montréal
