Sports
Hernández: How Kei Kamara escaped Sierra Leone to star for LAFC
The explosion outside of his school. The vultures feasting on corpses in the streets. The water gushing into the boat that was ferrying him to safety.
The images of war remain with Kei Kamara to this day.
The LAFC striker pictures them whenever he shares the story of his childhood in Sierra Leone. He often sees them in his dreams.
“I get these nightmares,” Kamara said. “I’m always running. I’m always running from chaos.”
The memories continue to haunt the 39-year-old Kamara, but they also have convinced him of how fortunate he is.
So rather than be disenchanted with how he’s switched teams more than a dozen times in his career, he celebrates how someone has always wanted him.
So instead of complaining about how he played irregularly last year with the Chicago Fire, he points out how his diminished role allowed him to score a milestone goal this year while playing for his hometown team.
“I’m this kid who ran away from a civil war,” Kamara. “I should not be here.”
Here, in his 19th year in professional soccer.
Here, with a resume that includes a stop in the English Premier League.
Here, in second place all-time in career goals in Major League Soccer, one spot ahead of Landon Donovan.
A boy selling soft drinks that he carries overhead walks past a clinic taking care of Ebola patients in Kenema, part of war-torn Sierra Leone, in 2014.
(Youssouf Bah / Associated Press)
Kamara was living in the Sierra Leone town of Kenema when his mother won an immigration lottery that permitted her to move to the United States. He was left with an aunt, who was one of five wives in a polygamous family that included about three dozen children. Kamara considered them to be brothers and sisters, adding that he didn’t know what a cousin was at the time. They played soccer on the family compound’s courtyard or on the 6-foot-wide path between adjacent buildings on the property.
But their lives were about to be disrupted, as a civil war that broke out on the Liberian border moved into the cities.
Kamara was in school when he heard the explosion that changed everything. A grenade had detonated outside.
“I remember running out of school, running into this little alleyway,” he said. “Kids were falling down and we were jumping over each other. I’m getting close to home and I realize I left my brothers and sisters. So I had to turn back around and run through the crowd. They were sitting in class.
“I don’t think there was a calm time after that.”
Kenema became dangerous. Rebel forces swept the streets for potential child soldiers, and Kamara said two of his cousins were captured.
“We never got to see them again,” he said.
His family moved to Sierra Leone’s capital of Freetown, but the conflict followed them.
“When there were gunshots, we all ran in the house,” he said. “When it was done, you’d hear neighbors and people crying because they lost family members. You could see their bodies.”
A temporary cease-fire presented Kamara and some of his family members with a chance to escape. Before they could board a plane to Gambia, however, they had to cross the Sierra Leone River by boat.
“It’s built with wood, so there’s always water coming in,” Kamara said. “I remember there were people with buckets bailing the water out. I remember thinking, ‘We’re not going to make it out, we’re going to drown.’”
Kamara spent close to two years in Gambia, after which he and his relatives were granted asylum in the United States. He first set foot in this country on Oct. 26, 2000.
“I will never forget that day,” he said.
Kei Kamara heads the ball away from Union defender Jack Elliott while playing for the Chicago Fire in last season.
(Rich Schultz / Associated Press)
Kamara initially lived with an uncle in Maryland. The arrangement lasted only a couple of months, and Kamara moved across the country to be with his mother in Hawthorne.
“It wasn’t all peaches and cream,” Raphael Saye said.
Kamara’s and Saye’s mothers were close friends, and Saye’s mother often looked after Kamara when his mother worked nights as a waitress at the Normandie Casino. Kamara came to refer to Saye as his brother.
“He had to deal with being different at school,” Saye said. “Being African, he had an accent. His mannerisms were different.”
Kamara enrolled at Leuzinger High in Lawndale, where he crossed paths with future NBA players Dorell Wright and Russell Westbrook. Kamara found his place on the soccer field. Classmate Cristian Olvera insisted he try out for his youth club, the Manhattan Beach Hurricanes.
“After 10 minutes, I just remember saying, ‘Oh my goodness, we’ve struck gold.’ He just did things that were jaw-dropping,” said Hurricanes coach Bruce Myhre.
Because Kamara’s mother worked nights, Myhre joked, “I ended up being his chauffeur.”
Twice a week, Myhre picked up Kamara in his silver Nissan Pathfinder to drive him to practice in Manhattan Beach. He also drove him to games.
“That’s when I first started to find out his story,” Myhre said.
Myhre became a father figure to Kamara and made sure college coaches knew about him. One of them was Joe Flanagan, who at the time headed the program at Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills.
When Kamara was a high school senior, Flanagan ran into him at Dominguez Hills. Kamara had applied to the university and was on his way to Flanagan’s office to inform him that he wanted to play there.
“Kei was all over it,” Flanagan said.
Kei Kamara bursts ahead of two defenders while playing for the Rapids in 2019.
(Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)
Kamara had a plan. The Galaxy’s new stadium was on the Dominguez Hills campus. Expansion team Chivas USA was about to join them as a tenant in what was then called the Home Depot Center.
“If I want to play pro, this is probably the best place to go,” Kamara recalled thinking at the time.
Kamara found work at the stadium. He erected the goals. He placed the corner flags. He set up the advertising boards that lined the field.
“He was the first one to get a job and we didn’t understand why,” said Saye, who also enrolled at Dominguez Hills.
Kamara made it a point to become acquainted with Galaxy players. He was soon on a first-name basis with then-Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid.
“I had my soccer shoes in the back of my car all the time,” Kamara said.
The memories elicited a chuckle from Flanagan.
“He was a go-getter,” Flanagan said.
In time, Galaxy players occasionally invited him to kick the ball around with them. After scoring 16 goals as a freshman and 15 as a sophomore, Kamara declared for the 2006 MLS draft.
He was selected with the ninth pick by the Columbus Crew. Schmid was the team’s coach.
Kei Kamara slides on his knees after scoring his second goal for the Dynamo during a 2008 game against Chivas USA. At left is teammate Brian Mullan
(Steve Campbell / Associated Press)
Kamara has played for 11 MLS teams. He’s played in Finland. He’s also played in England, including half a season with Norwich City in the Premier League.
One of his most cherished memories was of playing at Old Trafford. Kamara had visited the stadium the previous year as a spectator.
“A few months later, I’m downstairs with Norwich City playing against Manchester United,” Kamara said. “I’m looking all the way up, like, ‘I was just sitting there in December and now I’m down here.’”
He has a similar sense of wonder when he reflects on how he ended up with LAFC. In March, he was back in Sierra Leone, doing work for his HeartShapedHands Foundation, which serves children in his homeland. Kamara represented the country 39 times before retiring from international soccer in 2022.
Just when he thought his club career might also be over, his agent called to inform him of LAFC’s interest. There was one caveat: He had to try out.
“I did it because it was LAFC,” Kamara said.
Kamara rushed home. He signed a few days later.
Three weeks ago, in a game against the San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Stadium, the 6-foot-3 Kamara scored the kind of goal he’d scored so many times before, soaring over a defender and heading the ball into the back of the net.
The goal was his second of the season and 146th of his MLS career. Donovan, the U.S. national team’s all-time co-leader in goals, retired with 145 goals in MLS.
Kamara scored his 147th two weeks later at the Rose Bowl against the Galaxy.
“There’s just something so beautifully serendipitous,” said Myhre, his youth coach.
Kamara offered a similar view.
“I think it was destined to happen now,” he said. “Because it could have happened last year in Chicago. And it could have happened on the road. And finally to happen here, at home, in front of friends and family, it’s a storybook that I couldn’t have dreamed of.”
Sports
Amanda Anisimova defends right to avoid ‘clickbait’ questions about US politics at Australian Open
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American tennis star Amanda Anisimova called out a reporter at the Australian Open for asking “clickbait” questions about representing the United States under the Trump administration, saying it was her “right” not to speak on political matters.
Speaking to reporters after her fourth-round victory over Wang Xinyu, Anisimova was asked about how she is handling the “discourse” that has surrounded her after a reporter asked her and several American tennis players about their thoughts on representing the Stars and Stripes.
Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. is congratulated by Katerina Siniakova, right, of the Czech Republic following their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)
“I feel like the internet is – it’s tough. It comes with the job, which is something I’ve learned to get used to,” she said, adding that there are days “where it bothers me a little bit.”
Anisimova, a finalist at the 2025 U.S. Open and Wimbledon, later addressed the incident involving the reporter, who OutKick reported was freelance journalist Owen Lewis.
“In my other press conference, the fact that I didn’t want to answer a question that was obviously intended for just like a headline and clickbait, that was my right. It had nothing to do with my political views or anything like that.”
Anisimova was initially asked at an earlier press conference how it felt to “play under the American flag right now.”
“I was born in America. So, I’m always proud to represent my country,” the New Jersey native said. “A lot of us are doing really well, and it’s great to see a lot of great athletes on the women’s side and men’s side. I feel like we’re all doing a great job representing ourselves.”
Amanda Anisimova of the United States in action against Simona Waltert of Switzerland in the first round on Day 2 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 19, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
TENNIS STAR AMANDA ANISIMOVA DISMISSES REPORTER’S CYNICAL QUESTION ABOUT US: ‘I DON’T THINK THAT’S RELEVANT’
But the reporter later clarified his question, asking “in the context of the last year of everything that’s been happening in the U.S., does that complicate that feeling at all?”
Anisimova fired back, “I don’t think that’s relevant.”
Speaking to reporters Monday, she said it was wrong for fans to assume her politics based on that response, saying, “The fact that people assume that they know my stance on certain important topics is just wrong. It’s not factual. It’s tough, but I’ve learned to get used to it.”
Amanda Anisimova reacts after defeating Naomi Osaka during the women’s singles semifinals of the US Open tennis championships in Flushing Meadows, New York, on Sept. 5, 2025. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)
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Many social media users, including former American tennis stars John Isner and Tennys Sandgren, came to her defense and criticized the reporter’s line of questioning, which other American tennis players, including Taylor Fritz, were asked.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Shedeur Sanders made the Pro Bowl.
Let that sink in for a minute.
His father, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, made eight Pro Bowls during his 14-year NFL career. But he wasn’t selected until his third season.
The younger Sanders just finished his rookie season … for the 5-12 Cleveland Browns.
The former Colorado quarterback was considered a potential high first-round pick going into the 2025 draft, but he slipped down to the fifth round, where he was selected by Cleveland at No. 144 overall.
Sanders began the season as a third-stringer but eventually became the Browns’ QB1. In eight games played, including seven as a starter, Sanders completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a passer rating of 68.1. He also rushed for one touchdown.
In other words, he wasn’t exactly an elite NFL quarterback.
Yet, Sanders is headed to the Bay Area to take part in the 2026 Pro Bowl Games on Feb. 3. He was named as the replacement for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who is unable to participate because his team is playing the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.
Sanders is the first Browns quarterback to make the Pro Bowl since Derek Anderson in 2008 and the first rookie quarterback to make it since Maye last year.
Sanders may be the most unexpected selection since then-Baltimore Ravens backup Tyler Huntley. Huntley made the cut after the 2022 season despite playing in only six games, starting in four, and throwing for 658 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
How did this happen? Here’s what we know.
Pro Bowl selections are determined in equal parts by fan, player and coach voting. When the results were announced in late December, the three quarterbacks selected to represent the AFC were Maye, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert.
Sanders was not among the first four alternates at quarterback in the AFC.
Some of the AFC’s top quarterbacks — including Denver’s Bo Nix, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Indianapolis’ Daniel Jones — suffered season-ending injuries.
Players are not required to take part in the Pro Bowl festivities. Several other AFC quarterbacks — possibly including Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, Houston’s C.J. Stroud, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Tennessee rookie Cam Ward — may have turned down Pro Bowl invites for Sanders to have gotten the nod.
All that aside, not many people ever get to play quarterback in the NFL and even fewer can say they made the Pro Bowl. Sanders seems most appreciative of the honor.
“Thank you God. I’m beyond excited and extremely grateful for all the love and support from the coaches, players, and fans,” Sanders said in a statement released by the Browns. “This wouldn’t be possible without the support behind me. Still plenty of work to do.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sports
Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter warns soccer fans against traveling to US for 2026 World Cup under Trump
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Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says soccer fans should avoid traveling to the United States for the 2026 World Cup this summer.
Blatter’s reasoning? His belief that President Donald Trump’s international aggression and immigration crackdown across the country makes it dangerous for fans traveling overseas.
Blatter cited Mark Pieth, an anti-corruption expert and law professor who oversaw the Independent Governance Committee during FIFA’s reform from 2013-16. Pieth spoke with Swiss outlet Der Bund, where he told soccer fans to, “Stay away from the USA!”
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FIFA President Sepp Blatter gestures during a press conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland on March 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
“For the fans, there’s only one piece of advice: stay away from the USA!” I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter, 89, tweeted on Monday.
Pieth added in his interview: “You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
The United States is set to co-host this year’s World Cup, as Mexico and Canada will be the site for games in the tournament that spans from June 11-July 19. However, after the Round of 16, all remaining matches will be held in the U.S.
Trump’s stance toward Greenland has led to a call to boycott the World Cup this summer by German soccer federation executive Oke Göttlich.
“I really wonder when the time will be to think and talk about this concretely,” Göttlich told Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper about a potential boycott. “For me, that time has definitely come.”
Trump said recently that a “framework of a future deal” with NATO involving Greenland and the Arctic region has been discussed, which could ease tension in that regard.
From left; FIFA President Gianni Infantino takes a selfie with President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Chris Carlson/AP Photo)
“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
There is also the criticism of ICE agents in U.S. cities, specifically Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the deaths of two U.S. citizens as immigration crackdowns continue.
Pieth discussed that factor as well in his interview.
“The country itself is in a state of tremendous turmoil,” he said. “What we’re witnessing domestically — the marginalization of political opponents, the abuses by immigration authorities, and so on — doesn’t exactly entice a fan to travel there.
Pieth likened the States’ “security situation” to Mexico, where drug cartels threaten violence ahead of matches in Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey. Pieth believes the U.S. has become “increasingly authoritarian.”
U.S. President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Emilee Chinn/FIFA via Getty Images)
It’s worth noting Blatter was forced out of his post as FIFA president in 2015 following one of the biggest corruption scandals in the sport involving wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering.
Gianni Infantino took over Blatter’s role, and he has had a strong friendship with Trump.
The State Department also told Fox News Digital exclusively that it will launch the FIFA Priority Appointment Schedule System, or FIFA PASS, which will give World Cupp ticket holders the opportunity to access prioritized visa appointments before the tournament begins on June 11.
Prospective visa holders must be able to show that they qualify to obtain a visa and plan to follow the laws in the United States as well as leave the country once the tournament is over on July 19.
Trump spoke about the FIFA Pass in November, saying the Departments of State and Homeland Security had been working “tirelessly” to “ensure that soccer fans from all around the world are properly vetted and able to come to the United States next summer easily.”
In this Sept. 1, 2020 file photo, former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, center, appears in front of the building of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, in Bern, Switzerland. Former FIFA president Blatter spent a week in an induced coma after having heart surgery in December, his family said on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. (Peter Schneider/Keystone)
“I’ve directed my administration to do everything within the power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success. I think it’s going to be the greatest, and we are setting records on ticket sales,” Trump said at the time.
Infantino said the organization expected “between 5 and 10 million people coming to America from… all over the world to enjoy the World Cup.”
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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