MARIETTA, GA – Spain and Portugal were playing for the tournament title, and Atlanta United central midfielder Ajani “Jay” Fortune had front row seats to all the action. A member of the national team for Trinidad and Tobago, Fortune understands full well how important it is to play for one’s country.
Following training on Friday morning, Fortune volunteered his time as a celebrity guest for the tail end of camp when the campers broke out into teams of four and played for a mock World Cup trophy. The Spain/Portugal final was the finale of the day.
The eight players for the Atlanta United Youth Camp lined up beside Fortune following the title game, and even though the difference between the 22-year-old professional soccer player and the middle school-aged children participating in the one-day camp at the team’s practice facility was stark, it wasn’t that long ago that Fortune was in their shoes.
A camper, one of the better players on the mini-pitch that afternoon, asked Fortune for his cleats. He was the only kid brave enough to ask a member of Atlanta United for actual game-used cleats. Fortune was wearing sneakers at the time, so he ran back into the locker room after the camp was finished and grabbed a pair for the kid.
Fortune grew up playing the game just like those kids played it that morning. His father, Andre, was his and his brother Andre II, 28, first soccer coach while growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina. The father, who is the director and head coach with Inter Development Futbol, Inc., still coaches the sons in some ways despite the Fortune brothers both having played professionally.
Andre told The Atlanta Voice that he and Ajani text before and after matches.
“I watch him play every week. He knows that he has the support and people he can talk to,” Andre said.
“He still teaches me till this day,” Fortune joked.”He coached me, my brother, Matt, and a lot of other players who are doing well.”
Fortune says his father has done well with the transition from father to coach and back to father.
“It’s a little different when he’s your coach and you had a bad game and it’s a silent drive back home versus now, and he’s done very well with knowing when to be a dad and when to be a coach,” Fortune said. “I’m really grateful for that.”
Sitting in the shade and wearing shorts and a t-shirt, Fortune manages to look younger than he actually is. And at 22, that’s saying something. Along with childhood friend Matt Edwards, who was also coached by Fortune’s father as a youth player and has been a regular starter at right-back for Atlanta United, Fortune is a key part of the club’s future. Fortune, Edwards, center-back Noah Cobb, for example, are Atlanta United Academy players who have gotten the attention of first-year manager Ronny Deila.
Last week, during a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union, Fortune played the entire 90 minutes and displayed some of the skills Deila, and before him, former Atlanta United managers Gonzalo Pineda and Rob Valentino, find useful. Asked how it feels to be in the team’s current plans as they work on some level of consistency, Fortune used the word “confidence” several times.
“I think as we’re going on, my confidence is starting to grow, and I’m somebody that when I’m confident, I feel like I can be very beneficial to the team,” Fortune said. “All I want to do is keep getting better through the games and training.”
During the preseason, with all of the expectations for this year’s team as high as they are low at the moment, Fortune told the press that he had a list of personal and team goals he wanted to accomplish. Once reminded that one of his goals was to help the team get back to the Major League Soccer playoffs and to play a lot more, Fortune nodded his head.
“Whenever you have goals set, it gives you something to aim for. No matter how big or small the goal is, whenever you’re able to achieve them, it feels good,” Fortune said.
Fortune said his individual goals, including taking advantage of scoring opportunities like he did last week against Philadelphia when he took a shot at the opponent’s goal and missed, are based on what’s best for the team first and foremost.
“I think getting that balance is key,” Fortune said. “Just seeing the improvements from preseason of last year to now is a big thing to me.”
His father believes Atlanta United coaches, supporters, and Major League Soccer fans have only seen a percentage of what Ajani can do. There’s still much more unearthed potential, Andre said.
“I personally believe Atlanta hasn’t tapped into his potential. They are getting about 75% of his talent at the moment,” Andre said. “He has more to offer.”
Fortune’s father shared stories of his son’s ability to score and accumulate assists in big games as a youth player. Once in Manchester, England, a “six or seven-year-old” Ajani went through a training exercise with older kids despite playing in soccer cleats that were a size or two too small. The Fortunes had left Ajani’s boots back at the hotel, so he just put on the pair one of the coaches had and went to work. Before long, Manchester City’s academy coaches were lining the pitch, watching the little kid go.
“He just went out there and played,” Andre said of that moment.
Fortune admitted that he only had eyes for soccer while growing up. His father and older brother were early inspirations, and his latest inspiration is one day playing in one of the big leagues in Europe.
“I played tee ball when I was really young, a little flag football with friends, but I think I knew quite early that this was going to be the one that I was going to be the best at,” he said.
Fortune said he always wanted to be a professional soccer player.
“That was always the dream. I think you definitely don’t expect it to be like this,” Fortune said of his current circumstances.
Before completely finishing his thought, Fortune looked out over the team’s practice field. The blue skies and warm weather brought another smile to his face.
“When this happened, it was great to see the effort we put in had gotten me somewhere, but it’s still nowhere near where I want to be,” Fortune said.
Back in the starting lineup for Atlanta United, at least for the moment, Fortune, who has started five of Atlanta United’s 14 matches this season, spends his time away from the pitch playing video games and hanging out with friends. Some of whom do not play professional sports, according to Fortune.
“Just being able to talk about something different. The fun thing is, when I end up talking about a game, it’s usually in a fun way,” Fortune said. “It’s never anything too serious.”
Asked if he was happy and what makes him happy, Fortune said he’s getting to live out his dream, so how can he not be happy?
“I wake up every morning and I’m doing this and I’m doing it professionally,” Fortune said. “Matt, we grew up together, and we’re starting. This is a tough point of the season, but at the end of the day, there’s so much worse that I could be doing.”
Fortune, under his father’s guidance, had won a lot of tournaments and state cup titles as a youth player. The losing that has taken place this season -Atlanta United came into the Memorial Day weekend with a 2-5-7 overall record- is something he doesn’t want to get used to. A positive mindset is one that he says he combats the current on-field malaise that has enveloped the club at the moment.
“When I came here, I had the same mindset of wanting to win, so obviously when you’re not it, it’s not easy,” Fortune explained. “It’s up to us to fix it, and if we keep being upset and dwelling over it, we won’t get anywhere with that.”
So playing soccer makes Ajani Fortune happy.
“Waking up and doing this is a great thing,” Fortune said.