Meet The 13-Year-Old Who Just Broke Freddy Adu’s Record For Youngest First-Team Debut

Remember Freddy Adu?

The 14-year-old soccer star who was going to lead the United States to glory in the World Cup?

Of course you do!

Well, Adu is now 34 years old and retired after a club career that saw him play for 15 different teams.

American soccer has come a long way since then. Stars such as Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun are succeeding in some of Europe’s top leagues.

But the US has still yet to find that one transcendent talent that can carry a team through a tournament.

13-year-old Da’vian Kimbrough, however, is hoping to be just that.

Who is Da’vian Kimrbough? Well, we’re glad you asked.

Kimbrough made his professional debut on Sunday for Sacramento Republic of the USL Championship at 13 years, 7 months and 13 days old.

The appearance made him the youngest ever American to make his pro debut, surpassing Axel Kei, who did so for the Real Monarchs — MLS club Real Salt Lake’s second team — in 2021, at 13 years, 9 months, 9 days.

He also became the youngest American make a first-team debut Adu, who did so for D.C. United at 14 years, 10 months, 1 day in 2004.

Kimbrough is a 5-foot-11 forward from Woodland, California. Additionally, he has dual-national status for the US and Mexico. He recently participated in a Mexico U-16 training camp.

And lest you think Sacramento was just trying to pull a publicity stunt, take a look at the table.

It currently sits inin first place in the USL Championship Western Conference standings  with 58 points, just three points ahead of San Antonio FC with two games remaining.

Thankfully for Kimbrough, soccer in the United States is in a much healthier place than it was two decades ago (despite its numerous shortcomings).

Nobody is expecting him to be the savior of the sport in the US. But who knows, maybe we’re looking at the game-changing player that American soccer has been crying out for for years.