The following is a press release from the communications department of Columbus Crew SC.
COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew SC today announced that forward Kei Kamara was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 12 of the 2015 MLS season.
Kamara, 30, earned the award following a two-goal performance against the Chicago Fire on national television last Friday evening. His brace was his third of the 2015 campaign and the ninth of his MLS career.
The Sierra Leone international notched the first tally of the match in the eighth minute following a centering pass from Ethan Finlay, who earned MLS Player of the Week in Week Eight of the 2015 season. Kamara would double his goal output on the night in the 55th minute, scoring off of a corner kick following a flicked-on header by Kevan George after initial service from Federico Higuain.
The pair of goals gave Kamara nine on the season, making him the League’s leading goal-scorer to this point in the campaign. The forward is currently two goals ahead of Seattle’s Clint Dempsey and San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski for the League lead. He now has 61 career MLS goals to his name, eighth-most among all active League players.
Kamara’s first-half strike against the Fire was the 500th all-time home regular-season goal in Black & Gold history. Kamara sits on the cusp of another milestone, as his next goal would give him his third-career double-digit goal-scoring season in MLS, as the forward reached a career-best 11 goals in 2012 as well as 10 in 2010.
The Black and Gold return to action with an international friendly on Wednesday evening at MAPFRE Stadium against six-time La Liga champion Valencia CF. Crew SC then resumes League play with a road match at Orlando City SC on Saturday night. Both contests kick-off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from the NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com.
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