Ola Kamara began his second Major League Soccer season with a few changes.

The first was his jersey number. Kamara dropped his old No. 17 and picked up 11, worn by midfielder Cedrick Mabwati in 2016, which he said has been his favorite since he was a little boy. It’s also to honor his son, Willian, who was born Feb. 11 last year.

Also different for the 27-year-old from Norway is his comfort level with Crew SC, which plays its first road game of the season Saturday at the Houston Dynamo.

Kamara signed last February, less than a month before the 2016 opener. This year, the forward was embedded with his teammates during an 18-day preseason training trip in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“I think it’s positive, the team knows how I play and I know how they play, so the chemistry is probably better from the beginning now,” Kamara said last week. “The (other teams) maybe know my style of play as well, so that’s a positive and negative of it being the second season.”

But his better understanding of his teammates and the league didn't change the hurried way he entered the starting lineup.

Kamara made his first start in 2016 just two days after Kei Kamara (no relation) was traded to the New England Revolution, playing a complete 90-minute game against the Colorado Rapids after 27 minutes had been his MLS high.

After scoring 16 goals in 2016 and producing a 0.77 goals per 90 minutes average that ranked among the best in MLS, Ola Kamara’s place in the starting lineup was set entering this season. But his time to recover from a concussion suffered during preseason training was not.

Listed as questionable on the Week 1 injury report, Kamara was inserted into the starting lineup Saturday against the Chicago Fire less than an hour before kickoff. He was lifted for forward Adam Jahn in the 70th minute of a 1-1 tie.

“He was actually a pleasant surprise,” Crew coach Gregg Berhalter said of Kamara. “I think he could’ve went a little bit longer, but we pulled him out just to get Adam a little run and make sure we didn’t risk anything with Ola. I was surprised at his levels.”

Goal-scoring is what put Kamara on the map in 2016, but he said it’s no longer a primary concern.

"If I get 16 goals this year, but we get to the playoffs and we win more games, that will be positive," Kamara said.

Kamara felt he left a couple of goals on the table against Chicago. With a little luck and a little better movement, two missed connections might have become goals, he said.

"But for me, it’s a positive thing that I’m dangerous," Kamara said Tuesday. "Saturday, I hope I get a goal and I hope we win."

aerickson@dispatch.com

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