He’s got the lead in the race for the MLS Golden Boot – now he’s got another Player of the Week award, too.
Columbus forward Kei Kamara bagged yet another brace on Saturday – his fifth multi-goal game of 2015 – to lead Crew SC to a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids. The performance, which kept Kamara in first in the Golden Boot race with 17 goals on the year, was more than enough for the striker to be voted MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 23 of the season.
This is Kamara’s second Player of the Week award of 2015. The Sierra Leone striker took home the Week 12 honors after scoring a pair of goals in Columbus’ 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire on May 23.
Kamara brought Columbus back from a 1-0 deficit at Colorado, scoring twice in the second half to give Crew SC their first win since July 19. He bagged his first in the 52nd minute, running onto a Tony Tchani through ball in the left side of the box and slamming a left-footer inside the far post with his first touch.
The 30-year-old scored the winner in the 64th, playing a ball to Hector Jimenez on the right before driving into the box and hitting Jimenez’s cross into the back of the net. He nearly completed his hat trick in the 87th minute, narrowly missing the left corner with an attempted bicycle kick from his back.
Kamara and Columbus – currently in third-place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points – are off this weekend before returning to action until August 19, when they’ll host New York City FC at MAPFRE Stadium.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
Like this black and gold veteran, you can have your Crew SC jersey too. Shop mlsstore.com for Kei Kamara jerseys and Crew SC gear - including hats, scarves, and jackets.