CARSON, Calif. – Ola Kamara has proven himself to be one of the most prolific goal scorers in Major League Soccer in recent years and now he’s ready to bring his prowess to the LA Galaxy.
The Galaxy acquired the 28-year-old Norwegian forward on Saturday in a deal that sent Gyasi Zardes and allocation money to Columbus Crew SC.
“I’m super excited about the move. I wanted a new chapter and to get to a club that everybody knows in the whole world is cool,” Kamara told LA Galaxy Insider. “Being from Europe, everyone knows Galaxy. It’s a big challenge for me, and I’m very excited.”
Kamara flourished in Major League Soccer since joining Columbus in 2016, scoring 34 goals in 59 appearances. The Oslo native’s scoring clip is the third-best in the league in that span, behind only David Villa, Bradley Wright-Phillips, and Diego Valeri.
HIGHLIGHTS: Kamara's best in MLS
The 28-year-old joins a Galaxy squad that boasts a fearsome set of midfielders but struggled to find the back of the net a year ago. Following a pair of stellar seasons in Columbus, including an 18 goal season in 2017, Kamara is eager to prove his mettle in Los Angeles.
“The challenge is very exciting. I know the league, I’ve played against all of the teams, and it’s nice that I know that I’m a proven striker in the league,” Kamara said. “Playing with all the attacking power that we have is going to end up in goals. Maybe it might take some time, but hopefully not. Hopefully, it’s goals from the beginning."
The addition of Kamara is the showpiece of an offseason makeover under head coach Sigi Schmid that has seen the Galaxy boss remake the team’s spine by adding goalkeeper David Bingham, defenders Jorgen Skjelvik, Rolf Feltscher, and Tomas Hilliard-Arce as well as midfielder Perry Kitchen.
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As the Galaxy seek to return to the postseason in 2018, Kamara is keen to do what he does best: put the ball in the back of the net.
“I love to score goals, and hopefully I can do that within Sigi's system at the LA Galaxy,” Kamara said. "I know that the Galaxy has a lot of talented midfielders who were struggling to score goals last year, but I could see the potential. Hopefully, I can plug into that system, score goals, and develop good chemistry with all the attacking power we have.
“It’s cool to be on a team where we can just go up from last year. I embrace the challenge that it will be, but I think it’s going to be a good year for the Galaxy.”
