Philadelphia might make steal of the decade from RBNY Academy

Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin (Photo by Double G Media)

Adam Najem left college as one of the best number 10’s to grace his level of play in the past decade. The pedigree and legend of the Akron college program continues on with Najem. He had been involved with the New York Red Bulls Academy since a young age and showed well at each key age.

When the Red Bulls lowballed him with the minimum rookie salary, he looked for other suitors.

Philadelphia acquired his rights before the preseason started and he has apparently lit up the training fields in Clearwater, Florida where the Union are currently training.

Coach Jim Curtin on a conference call today stated, “Najem has been excellent in training. He has gotten goals and assists in training at a level that would translate to MLS. He has been very strong and covered more ground than anticipated according to the training data. I’m not saying he is the next Mauro Diaz but his size and ability are comparable to a Mauro Diaz or Benny Feilhaber. He has great attributes for a young number ten. He would have been a top 5 player in the combine if he was included this year.”

When asked about the potential for a signing, Curtin elaborated, “We’ll see what’s coming in the next few days, hopefully something can come from him.”

If this initial assessment from Curtin is accurate, this could turn out to be a certified insane trade from the New York Red Bulls. Credit has to be given as the Red Bulls Academy continues to pump out incredible talents, but to leave a player like Najem on the table seems to be a lazy decision. Not only did they lose out on one of the best prospects in a position that needs depth (Kljestan doesn’t get any younger), but they gave a key rival a piece of the pie.