OBETZ, Ohio – For the first time since a blockbuster trade deadline move sent him to the New England Revolution, Kei Kamara will be stepping onto the same field as his former Columbus Crew SC teammates when the clubs meet in Massachusetts this weekend (7:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter understands that psychological difference in this game, but says he’s more worried about Kamara’s abilities as a goalscorer than Crew SC players being distracted.
“Let’s not pretend there’s not a special element to the game,” he said. “A big part of our team now plays for them and we’re playing against them. But let’s be clear; we’re playing the New England Revolution, not Kei Kamara. That’s what we’re focused on. They’re a good team. We’re figuring out ways to beat a good team, and it includes stopping a threat that they have up front.”
Midfielder Tony Tchani agrees that the most important thing for Crew SC, currently ninth in the Eastern Conference, will be trying to “get something out of” the match. But he admitted there may be some extra trash talking during the match and friendly discussion before and after.
“We’re going to laugh,” he said. “Those are things you know are going to happen. You might be here (today) and not tomorrow. Things change really quickly. We’ll just laugh and talk a little bit, but then when it starts we might talk crap a little bit.”
Kamara has been oddly quiet online before the matchup, but midfielder Justin Meram expects some Twitter or Instagram posts from the striker before the match. But Meram said he and his teammates are focused on stopping Kei, not responding to him online.
“He probably enjoys more of this over social media and everything than most of us, so he’ll probably get a bigger kick out of it,” Meram said. “We’ll say ‘hi’ and shake his hand and maybe speak after. But at the end of the game, he’s going to want to score a hat trick against us and we just want to get the win.”
Kei’s replacement in the Columbus lineup, Ola Kamara, has already equaled his six goals this season with fewer than half his former teammate’s minutes. But Ola says he’s not comparing himself to anyone, and doesn’t see it as a matchup between the two Kamaras.
“I’m not thinking about that duel,” he said. “Coming here, I didn’t know too much about the league and I didn’t know too much about the players. The hype is something everyone else is making. I’m not thinking about it.”
What will it be like for Berhalter to see the striker he nearly helped win an MVP and Golden Boot? The Crew SC boss says he doesn’t know if he’ll talk to Kamara or what he would say, but doesn’t harbor any ill will.
“I have no problem with saying anything to Kei,” he said.
