Adam Najem

Adam Ahmad Najem (Persian: آدام نجم; born 19 January 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. Born in the United States, he played for the Afghanistan national team.

Adam Najem

Najem with Philadelphia Union in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Adam Ahmad Najem
Date of birth	(1995-01-19) 19 January 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth	Clifton, New Jersey, United States
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	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 6 January 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]