The Norwegian has taken MLS by storm, scoring 10 goals in 11 starts since Kei Kamara was traded to New England.

With last season’s 22-goal scorer Kei Kamara on the roster, Ola Kamara was facing a tough road to playing time when he signed with the Columbus Crew this offseason.

Still, the striker was clear about his objective in the United States after arriving from Norwegian club Molde.

“I didn’t come to MLS to sit on the bench,” Kamara told Goal USA. “I had offers in France and Germany, so for me to go to MLS and sit on the bench wouldn’t make sense.”

Initially, though, that’s exactly what happened. With Kei settled in as the lone striker in the Crew’s system, Ola made just three appearances off the bench in the club’s first nine games, playing a total of 50 minutes.

Then, on May 7, the course of the season for Columbus — and both Kamaras — radically changed.

An on-field spat between Kei and Federico Higuain about who would take a penalty spilled over into postgame media availability. Kei blasted Higuain publicly, calling him selfish and bemoaning the lack of service he received from the Argentine playmaker.

Just days later, last season’s MLS MVP runner-up was shipped to the New England Revolution. It was an odd and bittersweet moment for his presumptive replacement.

“For me, it was a strange situation because I didn’t know that much about trading, the system is new to me,” the 26-year-old Norwegian said. “Also, I like Kei a lot. The week before I was at his house eating dinner … so it was mixed feelings because I like Kei.”

At the time, it appeared Kei's departure left Columbus desperately short on forward options. There was, however, another Kamara waiting in the wings, and this one was more than happy about the prospect of teaming up with Higuain.

In fact, the Argentine playmaker’s presence helped lure Ola Kamara to Columbus in the first place.

“My agent was in contact with Columbus two years before the transfer,” he said. “So I knew especially that they had a really good No. 10, which is Pipa, and that was one of the things that I really wanted to have … a fantastic No. 10 that can play me a lot of balls so I can score a lot of goals.”

Kamara’s move to the U.S. wasn’t the first time he left his native country, but, in between successful stints in Norway, he had struggled to establish himself during brief spells at 1860 Munich and later at Austria Vienna.

“Sometimes it’s about timing,” Kamara said. “You can see that about a lot of strikers, they don’t score in one club and when they come to the right system and the right club, they score a lot of goals.”

In Columbus, Kamara appears to have found the right club and the right system.

Following Kei Kamara’s trade, Ola failed to score in his first two starts. But he made his MLS breakthrough May 28, netting three times against Real Salt Lake.

He hasn’t looked back since.

Kamara has 10 goals in 11 starts this season, and with the exception of Frank Lampard, his average of 0.85 goals per 90 minutes is the highest of any MLS player with more than one goal.

Rather than a dominating aerial presence like his namesake Kei, Ola scores with an opportunistic sense of timing — finding a pocket of space between two defenders or cutting in front of marker to meet a cross at the perfect moment. All 10 of Kamara’s goals have come from inside the box — two of which have been headers and one a penalty kick.

“It’s not an easy adjustment for new guys to come into this league and have success right away, and he’s done it,” Columbus captain Michael Parkhurst told Goal USA. “With every start that he’s had, he’s been very opportunistic and he’s done very well with all the chances that he gets.”

What’s been the key to Kamara’s seamless transition to MLS? The striker says head coach Gregg Berhalter’s 4-2-3-1 system, which employs a single striker and utilizes wide players getting high up the pitch, has been crucial.

“I’m not surprised [with the success] because of the way Columbus plays,” Kamara said. “When I was watching the game from the bench, I knew that I had the potential to score a lot of goals.

“The system that we’re playing, I really fit. I played kind of that system before and I know what I have to do to get good scoring chances in that formation.”

Parkhust agrees that Kamara has taken to the team's style of play perfectly.

“He has that desire and he fits well into our system in terms of making runs in behind,” the center back said. “He’s very good in the box with his runs. When we get the ball wide, he’s able to get in front of defenders and use his body well. He’s been a huge lift for our team."

The striker has certainly been a lift, but there is an elephant in the room that must be mentioned: Though Kamara’s been scoring, Columbus still hasn’t been winning.

The Crew have won just one of the 11 games Kamara has started, as last year’s MLS Cup finalist has slumped to second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, with a league-worst three wins on the season.

Kamara is taking the poor run of form in stride. The forgiving MLS playoff format still has Columbus within seven points of a postseason spot, and the club is only that close due in large part to the goals he’s scored.

“When you’re only seven points back you can see that [the scoring run] actually has paid a little bit of dividends," the striker said. “It’s a little bit bittersweet, but I think it’s good to see that it’s not far to reach the playoffs.”

If Columbus does manage a drastic turnaround to reach the postseason, it will likely be on the strength of Kamara’s goals. And if not, at least the Crew have a striker to build on — and one who is happy to be in Columbus.