Kei Kamara and teammate celebrating LAFC’s historic cup win
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Sierra Leonean International Kei Kamara was among the scorers for Los Angeles FC as they defeated Sporting Kansas City. 

The match, which was played at the BMO Stadium,  saw the 40-year-old scoring LAFC’s third goal in a 3-1 win to seal the club’s first ever Lamar Hunt US Open Cup title.

The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is the latest addition to the Los Angeles’ club’s trophy cabinet. The side had previously won the MLS cup (2022), the Supporters Shield (2019, 2022)  and the Western Conference trophy (2022, 2023). 

LAFC celebrating their cup win
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An Intense Match for LAFC 

Despite LAFC’s emphatic win, it didn’t come easy. 

Sporting KC dragged the match to extra time. After a goalless first half, LAFC opened the scoring with Oliver Giroud’s strike early in the second half. The 37-year-old Frenchman gave Steve Cherundo’s squad the lead from a well-placed assist from Mateusz Bogusz on the right. 

Sporting KC canceled out LAFC’s lead at the hour mark through an expertly placed shot by German midfielder Erik Thommy. Sporting KC capitalized on a careless loss of possession by Timothy Tillman as Johnny Russell found Daniel Salloi with a cross field pass to set up Thommy in the penalty area. 

LAFC pushed to restore their lead but Sporting KC hung on to prompt an extra 30 minutes of the tie. 

LAFC however outclassed their opponents to avoid a penalty shootout. 

LAFC Clinches Victory with Late Goals from Campos and Kamara 

LAFC finally restored their lead in the 102nd minute when Omar Campos drove in from the left and fancied a shot to find the back of the net. Kamara sealed the tie seven minutes later with a superb header at the near post.

Kamara’s  pre-match determination paid off with his goal. Before the game, the forward wrote on social media: “No excuses, No Regrets, it’s the finale tonight.”

Kei Kamara celebrating his goal in LAFC’s cup win
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Kei Kamara’s Incredible Major League Soccer Career 

Kei Kamara has had a long MLS career, playing for 11 clubs in 18 seasons, since 2006. He is currently the League’s second all time goal scorer with 146 goals, after Chris Wondolowski with 169. 

Kamara climbed to the second position in June after scoring a goal in his side’s 6-2 win against San Jose Earthquakes. The position was previously held by Landon Donovan, the greatest American soccer player. Kamara has said he doesn’t want to pass Wondolowski as being next to Landon Donovan, whom he is a fan of, is cool. 

In 2023 Kamara became the first player in MLS history to score in 16 different seasons, doing so with 10 different clubs. The record has been extended with the player scoring in two more league campaigns, and a new club.