Kei Kamara channels spirit, and deeds, of Roger Milla in Kansas City’s 2-0 win over Chivas USA
Not every soccer fan remembers Roger Milla, although they should. Kei Kamara certainly remembers him.
Milla was a three-time World Cup player for Cameroon, a forward who at the age of 38 enlivened the 1990 tournament in Italy with his gap-toothed grin and his hip-wiggling dances at the corner flag after each of his goals.
Flash forward two decades and on Sunday evening Kamara, who was born in Sierra Leone, got the chance to pay tribute to one of the true folk heroes of African football.
In the 70th minute of what had been a dull game in Carson, the Kansas City Wizards forward leaped into the air to head the ball, then spun past defender Dario Delgado and stuck the rebound into the back of the Chivas USA net.
It was a virtual replay of one of the four goals Milla scored at Italia ‘90, and Kamara celebrated it in fitting style, sprinting to the corner flag to doing the Milla dance.
“It’s amazing,” Kamara said after Kansas City’s 2-0 victory that virtually ended Chivas USA’s playoff hopes. “During the week I was watching videos of Roger Milla.
“I don’t know if you guys remember, he came into the World Cup at 38 and he scored a goal almost exactly the same. He tried to flick the ball to someone, they missed it and he went in and finished it and then ran to the corner flag and did the dance.
“So I just decided that if I’m going to score a goal like that, I’ve got to do the dance.”
Kamara also assisted on Kansas City’s second goal seven minutes from the end. This time he lofted a pass downfield that Teal Bunbury ran onto before sprinting past Chivas USA defender Michael Umana and firing a rising shot past goalkeeper Zach Thornton.
But it was the first goal that had the former Cal State Dominguez Hills player from Hawthorne beaming. The goal, in front of family and friends, could not have been scripted. It just happened.
“I’m a big kid, you know,” Kamara said. “I’m still living the dream. You see something on TV, you want to go out there and do it. It’s just great for it to come true.”
With any luck, Kamara could end up playing in a World Cup, just like Milla. He is already a starter on the Sierra Leone national team.
Kansas City Coach Peter Vermes, the former U.S. international striker who played in the 1990 World Cup, said Kamara, 26 and in his fifth season in Major League Soccer, is coming into his own.
“He’s really progressed as a player this year,” Vermes said. “He’s very committed to improving as a player and realizes that it’s more of a marathon than a sprint. I think early on he thought that he needed to be fantastic right away. He’s been much more patient about his progress.”
For Chivas USA, now 7-13-4 with six games left, patience is wearing thin.
“I’m upset, frustrated, disappointed,” said Coach Martin Vasquez, no doubt reflecting the sentiments of the 15,382 fans who had come to the Home Depot Center expecting Chivas to offer a bit more.
Kansas City improved to 8-9-6 and still has playoff hopes.
grahame.jones@latimes.com
