John Thomas "Jay Tee" Kamara (born 10 May 2002) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL League One team Portland Hearts of Pine and the Sierra Leone national football team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Thomas Kamara | ||
| Date of birth | 10 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Freetown, Sierra Leone | ||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Portland Hearts of Pine | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Alaska FC | |||
| Montverde Academy | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Louisville City | 0 | (0) |
| 2021 | → North Carolina FC (loan) | 21 | (4) |
| 2022 | Columbus Crew 2 | 9 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Ljungskile SK | 42 | (8) |
| 2024–2025 | Sandvikens IF | 8 | (0) |
| 2025– | Portland Hearts of Pine | 31 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2026– | Sierra Leone | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 April 2026 | |||
Club career
editKamara began his career with Alaska FC in his hometown of Freetown before attending Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, United States.[1][2] On January 27, 2021, after his graduation from Montverde, Kamara joined USL Championship club Louisville City.[2]
On 13 April 2021, Kamara was loaned out to USL League One club North Carolina FC for the 2021 season.[3] He made his professional debut for the club on 8 May against Greenville Triumph, starting in the 2–1 defeat.[4]
On February 18, 2022, Kamara was transferred to Columbus Crew 2, the reserve side of Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, ahead of their inaugural MLS Next Pro season.[5]
After the season, Kamara moved to Sweden, joining Ljungskile SK in the third-tier Ettan Fotboll.[6] He stayed there for a season and a half before moving to Sandvikens IF in the second-tier Superettan in August of 2024.[7]
In 2025, Kamara returned to the United States to join Portland Hearts of Pine in USL League One.[6] Due to visa issues, Kamara didn't join the team until mid-May, two months into the League One season.[8] He made his Hearts of Pine debut on 17 May against FC Naples, scoring a goal in a 2–1 Hearts of Pine victory.[9] He scored a goal in a 2–2 2025 USL League One playoffs semi-final draw against Spokane Velocity, but missed a penalty in the subsequent penalty shootout that saw Spokane advance to the League One Final.[10]
International career
editKamara was called up to the Sierra Leone national football team on 20 March 2026.[11] He made his debut in a match against the Azerbaijan national team on 30 March 2026, coming on as an 86th minute substitute in a 1–1 friendly draw that Azerbaijan won in a penalty shootout. Kamara scored his penalty.[12]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 25 October 2025[13]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Louisville City | 2021 | USL Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| North Carolina FC (loan) | 2021 | USL League One | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 4 | |
| Columbus Crew 2 | 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Ljungskile SK | 2023 | Ettan | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 5 | |
| 2024 | Ettan | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | ||
| Sandvikens IF | 2024 | Superettan | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Portland Hearts of Pine | 2025 | USL League One | 25[a] | 6[b] | 3[c] | 2[d] | — | 28 | 8 | |
| Career total | 115 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 20 | ||
Notes
edit- ↑ Includes one appearance in the USL League One playoffs
- ↑ Includes one goal scored in the USL League One playoffs
- ↑ Includes three appearances in the 2025 USL Cup
- ↑ Includes two goals scored in the 2025 USL Cup
References
edit- ↑ Bittar, Alie (28 January 2021). "John Thomas Kamara signs first pro deal with Louisville City". Football Sierra Leone. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- 1 2 Saxon, Jonathan (27 January 2021). "Louisville City FC signs John Thomas Kamara, dubbed the 'Sierra Leone Messi'". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ↑ "Jay Tee Kamara joins North Carolina FC". Louisville City (Twitter).
- ↑ "North Carolina FC 1–2 Greenville Triumph". Soccerway.
- ↑ "Columbus Crew 2 signs four players ahead of 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Season | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com.
- 1 2 Bittar, Alie (24 January 2025). "Jay Tee Kamara Joins Portland Hearts Of Pine In The US". Football Sierra Leone. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ↑ "Swedish Superettan Side Sandvikens Sign Jay Tee Kamara". Football Sierra Leone. 21 August 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ↑ Craig, Steve (16 May 2025). "Hearts of Pine scoring most of their goals in crunch time". Press Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ Craig, Steve (17 May 2025). "Hearts of Pine claim their first USL League One win". Press Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "Match Center | USLLeagueOne.com". www.uslleagueone.com. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ UEFA.com. "Azerbaijan-Sierra Leone | European Qualifiers 2026". UEFA.com. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ↑ Jay Tee Kamara at Soccerway
External links
edit- Profile Archived 9 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine at North Carolina FC
- Profile at Portland Hearts of Pine
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