For veteran striker Kei Kamara, 400 is just a number.
A testament to his character and how he’s gone about his illustrious 17-year career, Kamara is merely focused on match 401, then 402, and so forth...
But the reality is - we should acknowledge the longevity and efficiency of Kamara, who is a player unlike many have seen in Major League Soccer.
Currently wearing the ‘golden boot’ for the Fire, Kamara steps onto the pitch this weekend against St. Louis with the team high in goals this season with four.
His most notable goal in a Fire uniform was also a historic one.
In the March 25th victory over Inter Miami CF, Kamara broke a Club record, as he became the oldest player to record a goal in franchise history. At the crisp age of 38 years, six months and 24 days, he beats the previous record held by Arlington Heights-native Brian McBride at 38 years, four months and five days.
I assure you that'll be the last mention of age.
With 400 regular season games played, Kamara also joins a very elite group. Kamara became just the seventh player in league history to reach that mark, and is only one of two active players in that list. He joins current Nashville SC midfielder and former member of Chicago Fire FC, Dax McCarty.
All that said, let’s take a look at some of the most impressive numbers when we look at the career of one of the most prolific scorers in Major League Soccer history.
400
Let’s start with the most obvious.
Kamara recently became the seventh player in the 26-year history of the league to hit 400. Let’s really think about that.
There have been at least 3,568 players to touch grass in an MLS contest. Kamara, alongside Kyle Beckerman (498), Dax McCarty (440), Jeff Larentowicz (437), Chris Wondolowski (413), Drew Moor (411) and Chad Marshall (409), are the only men to reach 400.
Even crazier, that’s only 0.2% of players in the history of MLS to make it that far. Unbelievable longevity that is rarely seen in history of the league.
142 (and counting...)
The total number of goals Kamara has scored in his 16 seasons in MLS.
The Sierra Leone native sits just four away from passing L.A. Galaxy legend Landon Donovan for second all-time regular season goals.
It all started when Kamara was selected ninth overall by the Columbus Crew in the 2006 SuperDraft as a dazzling prospect full of promise. He let his presence be known early, scoring in his MLS debut off of a pass from midfielder Eddie Gaven to open his scoring account in the league on April 1, 2006 against the Kansas City Wizards.
17 years, 1 month, and 11 days later, he sits just 19 away from the most – ever.
10
Would you believe that Kamara has scored for 10 different clubs?
Not only is that the most amongst active players, it’s the most amongst players in the history of the league. Unbelievable.
Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, New England Revolution, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United FC, CF Montreal, and of course, Chicago Fire FC.
2015
Arguably his finest season, 2015 was a season unlike any other for Kamara.
At the time, Kamara was a member of the Crew (again). During his second stint in Ohio, he was a joint-MLS Golden Boot winner with Toronto FC striker Sebastian Giovinco. They both registered 22 goals.
On top of that, Kamara was selected into the 2015 MLS Best XI, and was selected to represent the Crew at the MLS All-Star Game, in its 20th installment. Playing alongside two former Fire players, Dax McCarty and DeMarcus Beasley, Kamara and the MLS All-Stars defeated the Tottenham Hotspur, 2-1 at the Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
The same season, Kamara was also awarded with the 2015 Humanitarian of the Year, along with the MLS Cup Playoffs Golden Boot.
38
Clinical and cold-blooded.
38 represents the number of game-winning goals Kamara has scored. His 38 are the fourth-most in league history. He’s only two game-winning goals away from tying Jeff Cunningham for third all-time.
He inched closer and closer in the March 25 victory over Inter Miami CF when he recorded the game winning tally in stoppage time. Ironically enough, in the treasured career that Kamara has had, his stoppage time winner was the first of his career.
You can watch Kamara’s rise to the top of Major League Soccer’s most prestigious leaderboards all season long, Chicago. Starting with this weekend's match when The Fire host newest expansion side St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, May 13. Beginning at 12 p.m. CT, the match will serve as the Club’s annual Chicago Sports Day, featuring special appearances from notable alumni from the other major Chicago sports teams, exclusive giveaway items and much more.
