Columbus signs Kei Kamara on a free transfer

Columbus signs Kei Kamara on a free transfer

Published Oct. 7, 2014 2:00 p.m. ET

The search for a striker in Columbus prompted the Crew to turn to a familiar face: Kei Kamara.

Kamara, 30, returned to the Crew on a free transfer on Tuesday. Columbus used the top spot in the MLS Allocation Ranking to sign the former Sporting Kansas City striker after his departure from English Championship side Middlesbrough last month.

The arrival of Kamara finally provides the Crew with a potential answer to its long-standing search for a number nine, but he is ineligible to feature this season after parting ways with Middlesbrough after the close of the English transfer window. Columbus will obtain his International Transfer Certificate when the window opens on Jan. 1, 2015.

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Kamara will likely prove worth the wait for the Crew given his MLS pedigree (52 goals in 193 appearances) and his ability to serve as a robust target to lead the line. Crew sporting director and head coach Gregg Berhalter said he fits the template perfectly for his side moving forward.

"Kei is a dynamic attacking player with a history of scoring goals in this League and we feel that he will fit perfectly into our system,” Berhalter said in a statement released by the club. “With his on-field performance, leadership, big personality and history of community involvement, Kei embodies the values of the club’s new brand as we move forward.”

The move brings Kamara back to the place where he started his career. Columbus selected Kamara with the ninth overall pick in the 2006 SuperDraft. Kamara scored 13 goals in 36 appearances before the Crew traded him to San Jose prior to the start of the 2008 season.

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