Columbus trades Kamara to New England after spat with teammate

Kei Kamara's complete dressing down of teammate Federico Higuain has sent him packing to Boston, as the Columbus Crew announced Thursday the club has traded its top scorer to the New England Revolution.

In exchange, the Crew receive a huge return package that includes Targeted Allocation Money, General Allocation Money, New England's highest first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft and highest second-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, an international roster spot, and a cut of any future transfer fee that Kamara brings in for the Revs.

"Kei had a memorable 2015 season and we recognize and understand how popular and productive he was, so this decision was not one we made lightly," head coach Gregg Berhalter said in a club-issued statement. "Our actions will always reflect the values of our club and we believe this transaction will improve our competitiveness this year and in future years."

The trade came after Kamara publicly criticized Higuain following a 4-4 draw against the Montreal Impact at MAPFRE Stadium, when the Argentine midfielder refused to allow Kamara to complete his first hat trick from the penalty spot.

Kamara said of Higuain: "I haven’t really had to depend on Pipa at all. How long have I been here? How many goals have I scored? How many have come from his assists? One, maybe two. I don’t depend on him. I depend on Ethan (Finlay), I depend on my outside backs to pass me balls."

Berhalter issued an in-house one game suspension for those comments, denouncing Kamara's behavior, which the Sierra Leone striker responded to with some contempt.

The Crew also reportedly began shopping the 2015 joint-top scorer around to other MLS teams, with New England completing a deal before the league's trade deadline closed Wednesday.

"We have been looking to strengthen our team and we feel that this addition accomplishes just that," Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a statement. "Kei is a player who has had success and is a proven goal scorer in MLS. We're pleased we were able to get this deal done and look forward to Kei's arrival and integration into the team."

Kamara joins a team with a stock of strikers already bursting to the brim, as Charlie Davies, Juan Agudelo, and Teal Bunbury share a solitary spot up top in Jay Heaps' 4-2-3-1 system, with Lee Nguyen, Diego Fagundez, and Kelyn Rowe in support.

The Revs will hope Kamara can replicate his 2015 form in navy blue, as he and Sebastian Giovinco went head-to-head for the MLS Golden Boot last season, both scoring 22 goals. Kamara lost due to an inferior assist tally, though, blaming the referees for suspending him on the final match day.