February 16, 2016 By Sahr Morris Jr.
Sierra Leone international Kei Kamara wants his current contract standoff with Columbus Crew resolved before the start of the new Major League Soccer (MLS) season.
With the MLS tournament set to kick-off on March 6, the 31-year-old forward is keen to put the contract impasse behind him and focus more on the upcoming season.
“To get it done before the season is definitely the goal,” Kamara told Dispatch reporter Shawn Mitchell. “Hopefully it will be solved before that comes. You don’t want (this) to go into the season.”
The former Norwich and Middleborough striker, who is presently on the second year of his three-year deal with the Crew, believes he should be paid more after he became the club’s top scorer last season scoring 22 goals and also being named as the team’s MVP last season.
Kamara, who was paid US$536,666 last year, said he “can’t really say if talks of his contract are going well or not,” but maintained he doesn’t want to hold out.
He said: “I feel like if I’m not out there training, I’m losing a lot if I want to be one of the top players in the league.”
Kamara missed the first four days of camping with the squad because of the salary dispute, though coach Gregg Berhalter said his absence was due to “a slight illness”.