FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution forward Kei Kamara has been called in by the Sierra Leone National Team for its 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Ivory Coast on Saturday, Sept. 3. Kamara, who will be 32 at the time of Saturday’s contest, will miss the Revolution’s next MLS contest on Sept. 3 against the Colorado Rapids.
Kamara, who joined the Revolution via trade in May 2016, will be representing Sierra Leone for the first time in nearly a year. His last appearance came when his native country hosted Ivory Coast in an AFCON qualifying match on Sept. 6, 2015, a 0-0 draw. The Kenema, Sierra Leone native has earned 24 caps with the team, several of them as captain, since debuting for the country during FIFA World Cup qualification in 2008. He has totaled four goals in his international career and most recently scored for Sierra Leone on Sept. 4, 2014 in a 2015 AFCON qualifying match against eventual champions Ivory Coast.
Saturday’s match will be Sierra Leone’s fourth and final contest in the group stage of 2017 AFCON qualifying, where the nation is competing alongside Ivory Coast and Sudan in Group I. Sierra Leone currently ranks second in the group with four points (1-1-1), while Ivory Coast leads Group I with five points (1-2-0); Sudan has already completed group play and is eliminated with four points (1-1-2). The winner of the group will advance to the final tournament, where 16 teams will compete in the 31st edition of the championship governed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
