Player Details

Name

Ola Kamara

Height

6' 1"

Weight

181 lbs

Date of Birth

10.15.1989 (34)

Birthplace

Oslo, Norway

Position

Forward

Position Detail

Striker

Preferred Side

Centre

Footedness

Left

Roster Category

Senior

Player Category

International
Career Summary

MLS Experience

2021: In his sixth season in MLS, Kamara had a career season in goal production, scoring 19 goals and recording five assists. In the 1,819 minutes and 28 appearances (22 starts), the Norwegian scored a hat-trick against Chicago Fire FC and three braces against Inter Miami CF, the Columbus Crew SC, and Toronto FC. Kamara’s 19 goals tied him with New York City’s Valentín Castellanos for most goals in the 2021 MLS Regular Season. The 32-year-old was also the league leader in goals per 90 minutes in the regular season with an impressive 0.94 goals per 90 minutes. The 19 goals helped the forward reach 150 goals for club and country, in addition to becoming the 10th all-time goalscorer in club history with 26 career goals for the Black-and-Red. Kamara was named to the MLS Team of the Week in weeks 7, 17, 25, and 35.

2020: Kamara had a consistent first full season with D.C. United in 2020 after transferring to the club in the middle of the 2019 season. Kamara played in all but one match for the Black-and-Red in 2020 and provided a steady presence in his striker position, leading the team with four goals and eight shots on target in the season.

2019: After spending the first half of the season with Shenzhen FC in the Chinese Super League, D.C. United acquired Ola Kamara on Aug. 7. After picking up an injury during his first week of training, Kamara made his debut for the Black-and-Red as a substitute against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Aug. 17. In his first start for United, the Norwegian recorded his first goal for the club during the 2-1 defeat against the New York Rivals on Aug. 21. His goal was nominated for AT&T Goal of the Week. The 30-year-old recorded his 50th and 51st career goals in MLS during his seventh career multi-goal game to give United a 3-0 victory over the Montreal impact on Aug. 31. Kamara was named on MLS Team of the Week for his performance.

2018 (LA Galaxy): In 2018, Ola Kamara was acquired by the LA Galaxy. The striker immediately made an impact for the Galaxy as he formed a partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Norwegian finished second on the team with 14 goals in 31 appearances (30 starts). Kamara recorded his sixth career multi-goal game in MLS during a 3-2 defeat against the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 28. Kamara also tied his career-high in MLS with three assists throughout the season.

2017 (LA Galaxy): During his second campaign in MLS, Kamara played in every regular season match for Columbus. Kamara was once again prolific in front of goal as he finished the season with a career-high 18 goals and three assists. During the match against Real Salt Lake on Jul. 29, Kamara recorded his fifth career multi-goal game in MLS to help the Columbus Crew record a 2-2 draw. Kamara finished the season as their top scorer, helping the Columbus Crew earn a spot in the playoffs.

2016: (Columbus Crew SC) Ola Kamara was acquired by the Columbus Crew in 2016 from Molde FK in the Norwegian first tier. The forward made his debut for the Crew as a substitute during a 2-0 defeat to the Montreal Impact on Apr. 9. In just his sixth game in MLS, Kamara recorded his first goal to go along with a hat trick during a 4-3 victory over Real Salt Lake on May 28. The Norwegian finished the season fourth in MLS with 16 goals. Kamara also chipped in with two assists during his debut season in MLS.

Previous Experience

Ola Kamara began his professional career in 2006 with Staebeck in the Norwegian first tier where he made just seven appearances before switching to Stromsgodset IF, also in the Norwegian first tier. With Stromsgodset, Kamara made 123 appearances recording 51 goals. Following his success with Stromsgodset, Kamara had stints in the second division of Germany and the Austrian first division. Kamara then returned to his boyhood club Molde FC and went on to make 44 appearances recording 21 goals and eight assists.

International Experience

Kamara represented Norway at the youth levels before making his senior debut as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat to Slovenia on Oct. 11, 2013. Kamara recorded his first goal for his country during a 2-1 victory over Moldova on Jan. 15, 2014. The Norwegian has made 17 appearances for the national team recording seven goals in all competitions.

Acquired

August 7, 2019: Acquired from Shenzhen FC