MLS: Kei Kamara goes back to Columbus to move forward with his career.

There is an adage in soccer that states one should never return to a former club. It is often applied to those that depart on successful terms with a positive legacy, the theory being that a second spell may muddy that rich and happy memory.

For Kei Kamara and the Columbus Crew SC that was never likely to be the case. The forward was first selected by Crew SC during the 2006 SuperDraft; a big grin etched across his face as he posed with the jersey of his new team.

Unfortunately that infectious smile was not as ever-present during his first spell in Ohio. He struggled for goals, a metric that so often defines a striker in the eyes of supporters and media alike. While the fans were never hostile it would be fair to say it was a tough period of his career as he struggled to make the switch from goal-scoring college player to MLS forward.

Eventually traded to the San Jose Earthquakes there was clearly unfinished business between the two which it seems motivated his return to Columbus towards the end of last year. “It was really just about coming back and being better than I was when I was 21-years-old,” he tells Yahoo Sport UK. “I’ve changed a lot because I’ve played under a lot of coaches, in a lot of countries. Now I wanted to be a more prolific goalscorer on this team.”

A well travelled striker, his transfers have taken him across the United States and even to Europe, totting up just under 9,200 miles in the process. In MLS he went from Columbus to the San Jose Earthquakes then on to Houston with the Dynamo before finally pitching up in Kansas City with Sporting KC. It was at the latter that he would finally find success in the league and with it the longest spell of his playing career to date.

Traded by the Houston Dynamo for Abe Thompson and allocation money, it was KC that got the better end of the deal as Kamara grew to be a fans’ favourite. Eventually his skills attracted suitors from across the Atlantic and Norwich City agreed a loan deal for him in January 2013. Scoring the equalising goal in a 2-1 win over Everton at Carrow Road it was the high point of a spell that ended without the club signing him permanently. Testing himself in England’s top tier, with hindsight the timing was perhaps not perfect.

The year he left for England was also the year Sporting lifted MLS Cup - beating Real Salt Lake in the final. “It was bitter-sweet but I really helped build the soccer to where it’s at now,” Kamara says reflecting on his time at the club. “For me I was really happy but I was a little sad. I still feel like I was part of that team.”

Now he is focused on trying to attain that silverware with Crew SC after terminating his contract with Middlesbrough last year. Kamara was away from Major League Soccer for two years and while much has changed his love for the league has not. “My mentality was to make a mark on this league,” he explains. “When I was gone I really missed it. I wanted to refresh the memories of people.”

Holding discussions with Gregg Berhalter in late 2014, the coach convinced him with comparisons to one of his former teams. “One of the first things the coach told me was that he wanted me to come to the team and help build the same kind of thing we had in Kansas City,” Kamara enthuses. “It was nice that they had a system of play and good players around and I was just a little piece of the puzzle to add in there.”

That little piece of the puzzle has undeniably had a big impact on the overall picture. Described by teammate Ethan Finlay as a ‘freak physically’, it’s a compliment Kamara fully embraces. “It’s a good way to describe someone,” Kamara says. “I appreciate it and I own it. I’m an athletic guy obviously and I try to apply that on the field by doing everything possible. Calling me a freak of the game is a good thing. I work hard at it and it’s really good right now to see that hard work pay-off.”

Notching 22 goals during the regular season, it is by far Kamara’s best season in MLS. Now 31 years old and an experienced professional, he’s able to note the changes in his game that have lead him to this season. “It’s me being more alert and owning goalscoring opportunities more than I used to before,” he says. “I read my teammates a lot better than I used to before.”

Given it took him four seasons to score his first 22 goals in MLS, the fact he has matched that number in just under 3000 minutes suggests it has been a great year for the forward. “If it stops now I haven’t had a great year,” he says. “I’ve lost the golden boot race.”

Reiterating that only an MLS Cup will make this season a success, it is not unfathomable to think of the team going the whole way, with Kamara believing they have sneaked under the radar. “We don’t really have much media following but when people see our games they give us respect and say we play some of the best soccer in the country,” Kamara says. “Hopefully we finish up strong with a trophy.”

Entering into the business end of the season it is now that the pressure mounts. Although with a constant smile on his face and a jovial attitude it doesn’t seem that stress is showing on Kamara. “Life is good,” he says with a laugh.

That attitude is something everyone notes about him. A player that endured a difficult childhood in which he fled a civil war in his native Sierra Leone, it has certainly impacted his outlook. “I just appreciate every moment,” Kamara says. “If I can come from Kenema, Sierra Leone and come from where I’m from and play in the English Premier League or the Championship or play in America and go to school in America after all the things I’ve gone through, I’m blessed.”

That infectious positivity also comes to the fore when he is celebrating a goal, something he applies his own unique twist to. Whether it’s posing with fans in hard hats as an homage to the club’s former crest or dancing an Irish jig to celebrate St Patrick’s Day while at Sporting KC, Kamara is having fun. “If you tell me one I might just work on doing it,” Kamara says when asked if he has any play-off celebrations planned. “I just love cherishing everything I have. Scoring a goal is not easy and this is an entertainment sport.”

He will now take that attitude with him into the play-offs along with a group of players he likens to family and describes as ‘very humble’. Happy to be back in MLS with Columbus, Kamara is also hoping he can finish the year strong by lifting MLS Cup and prove that sometimes going back allows you to move forward.