There’s a reason why “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough” still adorns the Manchester United dressing room walls over 50 years after former manager Sir Matt Busby famously coined the phrase.
Thousands of miles away, at Sacramento Republic, there’s a record-breaking youngster proving that mantra: Da’vian Kimbrough.
Last week, Sacramento signed Kimbrough to a professional contract, making him the youngest senior professional soccer player in United States history. Kimbrough, a forward, was signed at 13 years, five months and 13 days old, younger than MLS record youngster Maximo Carrizo (New York City FC; 14 years old) and NWSL record holder Melanie Barcenas (San Diego Wave; 15 years, four months, 19 days) were when they signed.
Kimbrough’s from a sporting family, but soccer wasn’t prominent in his household. His father, Dom, played football growing up, and his mother, Jessica Cervantes, was a basketball player in high school. His grandfather, Roberto Cervantes, was the first to introduce him to the sport, with Kimbrough first joining North Bay Elite FC before heading to Woodland Soccer Club in their area.
Kimbrough joined Sacramento’s player academy as an 11-year-old in 2021, where he debuted with their U-13 team. In his first season, he scored 27 goals in 31…
