Kei Kamara capped off a whirlwind week on Saturday night, helping his new team, the New England Revolution, to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire in his Revs debut.
It was a week that started with Kamara scoring another two goals for Columbus Crew SC (vs. Montreal on May 7) and it ended with his being traded before the MLS primary transfer window deadline. Sandwiched in between was a penalty kick argument with teammate Federico Higuain, a series of pointed postgame comments critical of Higuain and a suspension by his coach.
But Kamara doesn't regret any of it. He spoke to ESPN's Taylor Twellman in an interview aired on Sunday and made that much clear.
"Oh no. Not at all, not at all," Kamara said when asked by Twellman about whether he had any regrets for his postgame comments after Crew SC's 4-4 draw vs. the Montreal Impact last week, a match in which Crew SC coughed up a 4-1 lead at home. "I didn’t think any one of my comments or my action affected the result in that game. Not at all."
"What happened between me and the guy [Federico Higuain] happens a lot between players," Kamara continued. "Players fight in training. Players fight physical fights. I said a few words about my teammate. I own up to it. I don’t regret it. I’m not going to say that I wish I can go back and change it. Not at all."
Kamara said that he hopes Crew SC "explain really why they made the decision [to trade him] instead of making me a bad apple."
Immediately following the trade, Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter indicated that the move "was not solely about this weekend" and the events from the match vs. Montreal. But he didn't elaborate further, stating that "for me to give any other information or any other details, it’s exactly what I ask the players not to do – talking about other players in the media.”
During the ESPN interview, Kamara made his feelings clear that teams he's been part of have always had "really good locker rooms."
"Everywhere I’ve been and every place I’ve played or teams I’ve played for, it was all positive to me. It’s never been negative," Kamara said. "I helped build something when I was in Kansas City to what Kansas City is today. People in Kansas City today every time will thank me for what I did. Same thing going to Columbus now. People over there are saying nothing but the best for what I helped from last year.
"Every locker room I’ve been to -- it’s kind of tough to say, because I’ve been in a number of locker rooms -- but I’m proud to be in all those locker rooms because all the locker rooms I’ve been to has been a really good locker room when I’m there till I left that locker room."
As far as who is taking penalty kicks in New England? Kamara says that Lee Nguyen was taking penalties in his first practices with the team. But he still thinks he has a shot under the right circumstances.
“I’m sure if I had two goals [in a game], I think he’s definitely a generous guy and he’ll say 'Kei, you can have this [for the hat trick].'"
