David Najem

David Najem (born May 26, 1992) is a footballer who plays as a defender for USL Championship club New Mexico United and the Afghanistan national team.

David Najem
Personal information
Full name David Najem[1]
Date of birth (1992-05-26) May 26, 1992
Place of birth Clifton, New Jersey, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position(s) Fullback, Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 New Mexico United
Number 6
Youth career
2006–2010 New York Red Bulls
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Columbia Lions 64 (10)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 FC Eintracht Bamberg 37 (2)
2016–2017 New York Red Bulls II 45 (1)
2018–2019 Tampa Bay Rowdies 17 (1)
2020– New Mexico United 0 (0)
National team
2019– Afghanistan 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of January 31, 2020

Najem grew up in Clifton, New Jersey and attended Paramus Catholic High School, where he set school career records for both goals and points.[2]

Career

Early career

Najem was a member of the New York Red Bulls Academy since the age of 14 and played with the U-23 team during his college career. He attended Paramus Catholic High School, where he captained the team for two seasons and set the school record for career goals scored with 54. In 2010, Najem enrolled at Columbia University, and played four seasons with the men's soccer team. During his senior year in 2013, he was awarded as the Ivy League Offensive player of the year, tallying five goals and six assists.[3]

Eintracht Bamberg

After graduating from Columbia, Najem went on trial with lower division clubs in Germany and eventually signed with FC Eintracht Bamberg from the Regionalliga Bayern league in 2014.[4][5]

New York Red Bulls II

On May 19, 2016, Najem returned to the United States to sign with New York Red Bulls II. Najem will partner up with manager, John Wolyniec who formerly played for the New York Red Bulls and coached him in the academy.[6] Najem made his official debut for the club coming on as a late match substitute in a 1–0 victory against FC Montreal.[7] After starting in every match during the clubs playoff run, on October 23, 2016, Najem helped the club to a 5–1 victory over Swope Park Rangers in the 2016 USL Cup Final.[8]

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Najem signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies on January 11, 2018.[9]

New Mexico United

In January 2020, Najem joined New Mexico United.[10]

International

He made his debut for Afghanistan national football team on June 7, 2019 in a friendly against Tajikistan, as a starter.[11]

Personal

Davis's brother, Adam, is also a professional soccer player who currently plays for the Polish I liga club Wigry Suwałki, and was called-up by the Afghanistan national team.[12][13]

Career statistics
As of July 22, 2017
Club Season League League Cup Domestic Cup Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
FC Eintracht Bamberg 2013–14 131000000131
2014–15 241000000241
Total 372000000372
New York Red Bulls II 2016 150400000190
2017 301200000321
Total 451600000511
Career total 823600000883

Honors

Club

New York Red Bulls II

References
  1. "David Najem Bio". MLSSoccer.com.
  2. "New York Red Bulls II Sign David Najem", New York Red Bulls, May 19, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2016. "Najem, a native of Clifton, N.J., joins the club after spending two seasons in Regionalliga Bayern, Germany’s Fourth Division, with FC Eintracht Bamberg 2010.... Najem attended Paramus Catholic High School where he was a two-time captain and set the school record with 54 goals and 146 career points in his career."
  3. "David Najem Profile". GoColumbiaLions.com.
  4. "David Najem and life in fourth division Germany". TopDrawerSoccer.com.
  5. "Najem Signs Professional Contract with German Club FC Eintracht Bamberg 2010". GoColumbiaLions.com.
  6. "New York Red Bulls II Sign David Najem". NewYorkRedBulls.com.
  7. "USL MATCH RECAP: Red Bulls II Maintain Road Perfection with 1-0 win at FC Montreal". newyorkredbulls.com.
  8. "Allen's Hat Trick Leads Red Bulls II to USL Cup". uslsoccer.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  9. "Rowdies Continue to Build Roster with Signing of Defender David Najem". RowdiesSoccer.com. January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  10. "New Mexico United Welcomes Accomplished Defender to the 2020 Squad". NewMexicoUTD.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  11. "Tajikistan v Afghanistan game report". National-Football-Teams. June 7, 2019.
  12. Joe Tansey (August 14, 2018). "Philadelphia Union's Adam Najem earns first call-up to Afghanistan national team". prosoccerusa.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  13. "Adam Najem piłkarzem Wigier « Oficjalny Serwis Suwalskiego Klubu Sportowego Wigry". wigrysuwalki.eu. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
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