With preseason imminent and a handful of new signing in the rearview mirror, it seemed like the roster was largely set and ready to go. Apparently not, as Louisville City has suddenly announced the signing of 18-year-old John Thomas “Jay Tee” Kamara! The Sierra Leone international arriving by way of Florida powerhouse Montverde Academy. Like JoGo, Kamara is a young talent who sees himself one day playing in Europe. “He’s a lovely person and, talent-wise, he’s very unique with his ability,” said Montverde coach Mike Potempa. “I believe he’ll do really, really well once he earns his opportunity at Louisville City FC. This is player who after one or two years should have interest from big clubs. He’s an exciting talent to watch.”
Kamara is a left-footed attacking threat with superior pace and a knack for making the unselfish, extra pass which has earned him the nickname the “Sierra Leone Messi.” His agent stated, “When I was looking for a club for JT, I thought there was a world of opportunity between Hack’s experience and what Louisville City FC has to offer. I couldn’t think of a better place for him to get started with his professional career. I had a lot of teams interested in him — MLS teams were interested — and I recommended straight away that he sign with Louisville.”
“Jay Tee is an exciting and creative young player,” said LouCity’s Head Coach and Sporting Director John Hackworth. “He trialed with us last summer, impressing our staff and players with his skill, imagination and explosiveness. We know he comes from an excellent academy background and look forward to watching him develop at the professional level.”
The fact that Lou City continues to be an attractive destination for developing young talents is incredible. It speaks volumes about the quality of the organization. While there is not a plethora of information available on the player, what we can see is promising and I am eager to see what he can do on the pitch and how he develops.
Welcome to the club, Jay Tee!
UPDATE - 0413/2021
Well, it looks like we may not get to see this young gun playing in purple this season. The club has just announced that he will be going on a season-long loan to North Carolina FC in USL League One. Coach Hackworth had this to say:
“At this time in his development, we feel it is important for Jay Tee to have the chance to get as many game minutes as possible. While we all loved seeing his ability on the ball, there are other areas he needs to improve in order to represent this club. Therefore, we believe Jay Tee has an excellent opportunity at North Carolina FC. Their principles and style of play are similar to ours. Most importantly, the coaches, who we know well, wanted and needed Jay Tee.”
The Jay Tee goal @ 0:28 seconds was awesome.