Mohammed Kesselly "Keka"[1] Kamara (born 31 October 1997) is a Liberian professional footballer who plays for Liga I club CFR Cluj and the Liberia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohammed Kesselly Kamara | ||
| Date of birth | 31 October 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Sinkor, Liberia | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | CFR Cluj | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | TJC Apache | 44 | (70) |
| 2018 | UCLA Bruins | 14 | (5) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | Atlanta Silverbacks | 14 | (9) |
| 2019 | SC Paderborn | 0 | (0) |
| 2019 | SC Paderborn II | 7 | (8) |
| 2019–2020 | LA Galaxy II | 9 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | Menemenspor | 10 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | Hatayspor | 45 | (5) |
| 2022 | → Astana (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Hapoel Haifa | 52 | (11) |
| 2024– | CFR Cluj | 11 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2023– | Liberia | 4 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 November 2024 | |||
Career
editCollege and amateur
editTyler Junior College
editKamara moved to the United States to play college soccer at Tyler Junior College in 2016.[2] During his two years at Tyler, Kamara scored 70 goals and tallied ten assists in just 44 games. He finished the 2017 season as the NJCAA player of the year after scoring a school record-breaking and NJCAA-leading 48 goals, which included 14 game-winners.[1]
UCLA
editIn 2018, Kamara transferred to UCLA, where he made 14 appearances, scored five goals, and tallied a single assist.[3]
Atlanta Silverbacks
editDuring his time at college, Kamara also appeared for National Premier Soccer League side Atlanta Silverbacks, where he scored nine goals in 14 appearances.[4][5]
Professional
editSC Paderborn 07
editKamara was considered a strong candidate to sign a Generation Adidas deal with Major League Soccer, which would see him enter the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.[6] However, he opted to move to Europe, signing with 2. Bundesliga side SC Paderborn on 5 January 2019.[7][8]
During his time at Paderborn, Kamara failed to make a single first team appearance, but did score eight goals in seven appearances for Paderborn's 5th-tier second team who competed in the Oberliga Westfalen.[9]
In June 2019, Kamara and Paderborn mutually agreed to terminate his contract with the club.[10]
LA Galaxy II
editOn 2 August 2019, Kamara signed for USL Championship side LA Galaxy II.[11] He made his professional debut on 11 August 2019, as an 84th-minute substitute during a 3–1 win over Austin Bold.[12]
Menemenspor
editOn 1 October 2020, Kamara moved to Turkish TFF First League side Menemenspor.[13]
Career statistics
edit- As of matches played on 17 November 2023[14]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberia | 2023 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 4 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Liberia's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 October 2023 | Stade du Phosphate, Khouribga, Morocco |  Libya |
1–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
References
edit- ^ a b McCarthy, Gabriel (September 20, 2018). "Mohammed Kamara dribbles around the world before scoring a home with UCLA soccer". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ "Mohammed Kamara 2017 Men's Soccer Roster | Tyler Junior College Athletics". www.apacheathletics.com.
- ^ "Mohammed Kamara - Men's Soccer". UCLA.
- ^ "ATLANTA SILVERBACKS ALUM MOHAMMED KAMARA HONORED AS PLAYER OF THE YEAR, ALL-AMERICAN". January 29, 2018.
- ^ "National Premier Soccer League". npsl.bonzidev.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
- ^ "MLS SuperDraft: Amaya, Buchanan to headline Generation adidas class | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
- ^ "German second-tier Paderborn sign SKC's Shelton". ESPN.com. January 5, 2019.
- ^ "Khiry Shelton | Mohammed Kamara| SC Paderborn 07". bundesliga.de - die offizielle Webseite der Bundesliga.
- ^ "Liberian youngster Mohammed Kamara parts ways with German Club Paderborn FC – Sokafrika".
- ^ "SC Paderborn: Mohammed Kamara löst Vertrag auf". bundesliga.de - die offizielle Webseite der Bundesliga.
- ^ "LA Galaxy II sign forward Mohammed Kamara". lagalaxy.com. LA Galaxy. 2 August 2019.
- ^ "Austin Bold FC vs. LA Galaxy II". uslchampionship.com. USL Championship. 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Son dakika transfer haberleri: Menemenspor Mohammed Kamara'yı transfer etti".
- ^ "Mohammed Kamara". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 30 May 2024.