Adam Najem
Afghan footballer (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adam Ahmad Najem (Persian: آدام نجم; born January 19, 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. Born in the United States, he played for the Afghanistan national team.
|
Najem with Philadelphia Union in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adam Ahmad Najem | ||
| Date of birth | January 19, 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Clifton, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2013 | New York Red Bulls | ||
| 2009–2013 | Paramus Catholic High School | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | Akron Zips | 89 | (33) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015 | New York Red Bulls U23 | 6 | (0) |
| 2016 | Michigan Bucks | 11 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Philadelphia Union | 5 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Bethlehem Steel (loan) | 37 | (5) |
| 2019 | Memphis 901 | 29 | (4) |
| 2020 | Wigry Suwałki | 2 | (0) |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | (0) |
| 2021 | FC Edmonton | 16 | (1) |
| 2022 | New York Red Bulls II | 4 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Bhayangkara | 45 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2018–2021 | Afghanistan | 15 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of January 6, 2025 | |||
Career
Youth and college
Raised in Clifton, New Jersey, Najem played prep soccer at Paramus Catholic High School.[1]
Najem played four years of college soccer at the University of Akron between 2013 and 2016, making 89 appearances, scoring 33 goals and tallying 29 assists.[2]
While at college, Najem also appeared for Premier Development League sides New York Red Bulls U23 and Michigan Bucks, where he won the 2016 PDL Championship.[3][4]
Club
Najem signed with Major League Soccer side Philadelphia Union on February 8, 2017, after acquiring his rights from New York Red Bulls in exchange for a second-round 2018 MLS SuperDraft pick.[5] He made his professional debut on April 1, 2017, while on loan with the Union's United Soccer League affiliate Bethlehem Steel, playing 90 minutes in a 3–2 loss to Rochester Rhinos.[6]
Najem joined USL Championship expansion club Memphis 901 on February 5, 2019.[7]
Najem joined Polish I liga club Wigry Suwałki on January 22, 2020[8]
On August 5, 2020, Najem returned to the United States, joining USL Championship side Tampa Bay Rowdies.[9]
On August 9, 2021, Najem signed with Canadian Premier League side Edmonton.[10] On February 9, 2022, the club announced that Najem and all but two other players would not be returning for the 2022 season.[11]
On May 19, 2022, Najem signed a 25-day short-term contract with New York Red Bulls II.[12] Najem made his first appearance for New York on May 21, 2022, in a 2–0 loss to Indy Eleven.[13]
International
In August 2018, Najem received his first international call-up to the Afghanistan national team.[14][15]
Personal
Adam's brother, David, is also a professional footballer.[16]
After his playing career, Adam joined new MLS Next Pro team CT United as their Director of Scouting.[17]