Ola Kamara has been in roaring form for Columbus Crew SC since his arrival in MLS last year, bagging 18 goals and three assists in the 2017 regular season before chipping in a goal and an assist on his team's unexpected run in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs.
His international career with Norway remained frozen in amber, however, as his absence from the Scandinavian squad dragged on, leading Kamara to publicly make his case for inclusion and wonder if he's being overlooked because of his country's playing style.
But his long wait has finally ended.
The Norwegian federation announced on Monday that Kamara, 28, has indeed earned a call-up for their upcoming friendlies vs. Macedonia on Nov. 11 and Slovakia three days later:
The call is Kamara's first since 2014. Norway failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and are now preparing to pivot towards a longer-term outlook ahead of the onset of Euro 2020 qualifying.
"Now I have had two strong seasons that are better than most Norwegian players, except [Bournemouth's] Joshua King," Kamara told Norwegian outlet VG last month. "I have shown good scores over two seasons, with 34 goals. I should have been on the national team, but I also know that coaches choose players who fit into their playing style … My achievements are good enough. The league is good enough."
