There is an adage in soccer that states one should never return to a former club. It is often applied to those that depart on successful terms with a positive legacy, the theory being that a second spell may muddy that rich and happy memory.

For Kei Kamara and the Columbus Crew SC that was never likely to be the case. The forward was first selected by Crew SC during the 2006 SuperDraft; a big grin etched across his face as he posed with the jersey of his new team.

Unfortunately that infectious smile was not as ever-present during his first spell in Ohio. He struggled for goals, a metric that so often defines a striker in the eyes of supporters and media alike. While the fans were never hostile it would be fair to say it was a tough period of his career as he struggled to make the switch from goal-scoring college player to MLS forward.

Eventually traded to the San Jose Earthquakes there was clearly unfinished business between the two which it seems motivated his return to Columbus towards the end of last year. “It was really just about coming back and being better than I was when I was 21-years-old,” he tells Yahoo Sport UK. “I’ve changed a lot because I’ve played under a lot of coaches, in a lot of countries. Now I wanted to be a more prolific goalscorer on this team.”

A well travelled striker, his transfers have taken him across the United States and even to Europe, totting up just under 9,200 miles in the process. In MLS he went from Columbus to the San Jose Earthquakes then on to Houston with the Dynamo before finally pitching up in Kansas City with Sporting KC. It was at the latter that he would finally find success in the league and with it the longest spell of his playing career to date.

Traded by the Houston Dynamo for Abe Thompson and allocation money, it was KC that got the better end of the deal as Kamara grew to be a fans’ favourite. Eventually his skills attracted suitors from across the Atlantic and Norwich City agreed a loan deal for him in January 2013. Scoring the equalising goal in a 2-1 win over Everton at Carrow Road it was the high point of a spell that ended without the club signing him permanently. Testing himself in England’s top tier, with hindsight the timing was perhaps not perfect.

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The year he left for England was also the year Sporting lifted MLS Cup - beating Real Salt Lake in the final. “It was bitter-sweet but I really helped build the soccer to where it’s at now,” Kamara says reflecting on his time at the club. “For me I was really happy but I was a little sad. I still feel like I was part of that team.”

Now he is focused on trying to attain that silverware with Crew SC after terminating his contract with Middlesbrough last year. Kamara was away from Major League Soccer for two years and while much has changed his love for the league has not. “My mentality was to make a mark on this league,” he explains. “When I was gone I really missed it. I wanted to refresh the memories of people.”

Holding discussions with Gregg Berhalter in late 2014, the coach convinced him with comparisons to one of his former teams. “One of the first things the coach told me was that he wanted me to come to the team and help build the same kind of thing we had in Kansas City,” Kamara enthuses. “It was nice that they had a system of play and good players around and I was just a little piece of the puzzle to add in there.”

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