In the 1980s, Chad grew up with two soccer-crazy brothers. Their father, Jay, founded the Wheeling Soccer Club, which has since been rebranded as FC Wheeling.
Before there was an internet, the Adams brothers cut out players pictures from Eurosport catalogues and pasted them on their walls. They devoured Soccer America, then a weekly publication, from cover to cover. All three played soccer at Princeton University. Chad captained the Tigers for two years.
That childhood passion for the game never waned.
Chad, 42, who is a co-founder and principal at Patriot Equity Partners, a real estate investment company, said it "was always like the release of emotion and the chance to express myself, a chance to get out feelings of maybe a rough day or celebrate feeling of a good day or some accomplishment."
While he nurtured that affection for the beautiful game, Chad wanted his six children to discover soccer and their passions on their own:
* Ashton, 16, an avid player and a big Michael Bradley fan, wants to continue playing in college.
* Ava, 11, another serious player, lists Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz as her favorite players on the U.S. women's national team.
* Boden, 6, is just embarking on his soccer career on a recreational team. He probably will begin travel soccer next year.
* Savannah, 13, and Bella, 9, have played the sport, but pursued interests in dance.
"They both do well and enjoy it," Chad said. "They enjoy the kind of spontaneous pickup games that happen in the yard. They’ll both jump in. Bella, once told us, 'I don't want to play real soccer, but I love to play backyard soccer.' So, that is great. We have a full-size goal in the yard, so we have plenty of room to play and have fun. And a lot of times when we do have a chance when we're all home the two soccer players will take the ball and the rest of us will come out. It'll turn into a little family game, which is fun."
