John Thomas "Jay Tee" Kamara (born 10 May 2002) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL League One team Portland Hearts of Pine and the Sierra Leone national football team.
Club career Kamara began his career with Alaska FC in his hometown of Freetown before attending Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, United States. On January 27, 2021, after his graduation from Montverde, Kamara joined USL Championship club Louisville City.
On 13 April 2021, Kamara was loaned out to USL League One club North Carolina FC for the 2021 season. He made his professional debut for the club on 8 May against Greenville Triumph, starting in the 2–1 defeat.
On February 18, 2022, Kamara was transferred to Columbus Crew 2, the reserve side of Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, ahead of their inaugural MLS Next Pro season.
After the season, Kamara moved to Sweden, joining Ljungskile SK in the third-tier Ettan Fotboll. He stayed there for a season and a half before moving to Sandvikens IF in the second-tier Superettan in August 2024.
In 2025, Kamara returned to the United States to join Portland Hearts of Pine in USL League One. Due to visa issues, Kamara didn't join the team until mid-May, two months into the League One season. He made his Hearts of Pine debut on 17 May against FC Naples, scoring a goal in a 2–1 Hearts of Pine victory. He scored a goal in a 2–2 2025 USL League One playoffs semi-final draw against Spokane Velocity, but missed a penalty in the subsequent penalty shootout that saw Spokane advance to the League One Final.
International career Kamara was called up to the Sierra Leone national football team on 20 March 2026. He made his debut in a match against the Azerbaijan national team on 30 March 2026, coming on as an 86th minute substitute in a 1–1 friendly draw that Azerbaijan won in a penalty shootout. Kamara scored his penalty.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsLouisville City2021USL Championship0000—00North Carolina FC (loan)2021USL League One21400—214Columbus Crew 22022MLS Next Pro9000—90Ljungskile SK2023Ettan27500—2752024Ettan15300—153Sandvikens IF2024Superettan8010—90Portland Hearts of Pine2025USL League One25632—288Career total11518420010920
Notes
References
External links Profile at North Carolina FC Profile at Portland Hearts of Pine