Jay Tee Kamara

Jay Tee Kamara
Personal information
Full name John Thomas Kamara
Date of birth (2002-05-10) 10 May 2002 (age 24)
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

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.

Club career

Kamara 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

Kamara 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

As of match played 25 October 2025[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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

  1. ^ Includes one appearance in the USL League One playoffs
  2. ^ Includes one goal scored in the USL League One playoffs
  3. ^ Includes three appearances in the 2025 USL Cup
  4. ^ Includes two goals scored in the 2025 USL Cup

References

  1. ^ Bittar, Alie (28 January 2021). "John Thomas Kamara signs first pro deal with Louisville City". Football Sierra Leone. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b Saxon, Jonathan (27 January 2021). "Louisville City FC signs John Thomas Kamara, dubbed the 'Sierra Leone Messi'". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Jay Tee Kamara joins North Carolina FC". Louisville City (Twitter).
  4. ^ "North Carolina FC 1–2 Greenville Triumph". Soccerway.
  5. ^ "Columbus Crew 2 signs four players ahead of 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Season | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com.
  6. ^ a b Bittar, Alie (24 January 2025). "Jay Tee Kamara Joins Portland Hearts Of Pine In The US". Football Sierra Leone. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Swedish Superettan Side Sandvikens Sign Jay Tee Kamara". Football Sierra Leone. 21 August 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  8. ^ Craig, Steve (16 May 2025). "Hearts of Pine scoring most of their goals in crunch time". Press Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  9. ^ Craig, Steve (17 May 2025). "Hearts of Pine claim their first USL League One win". Press Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Match Center | USLLeagueOne.com". www.uslleagueone.com. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  11. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  12. ^ UEFA.com. "Azerbaijan-Sierra Leone | European Qualifiers 2026". UEFA.com. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  13. ^ Jay Tee Kamara at Soccerway
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