Atlanta United signed midfielder Jay Fortune to a Homegrown contract through the 2024 season with club options through 2026, effective Jan. 1, 2023, on July 21, 2022. Fortune, who made his debut with the Trinidad and Tobago National Team in 2021, joined the Atlanta United Academy in 2018.
Fortune made his MLS debut on March 11, 2023 at Charlotte FC and went on to make 14 regular season appearances in 2023. The midfielder finished his first season with Atlanta United’s First Team by starting two of the three matches in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoff series against Columbus Crew. His first career assist came on June 21 in a 2-2 draw vs. NYCFC.
In his second MLS season in 2024, Fortune set career bests in matches played (27), starts (13), minutes (1,298), goals (one) and assists (two) as he became a consistent part of the lineup in the second half of the season and in the playoffs, where he started four matches. He scored his first MLS goal at Charlotte FC on Aug. 31, the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory. The midfielder appeared in 15 of the team’s first 17 matches to start the 2025 season and scored one goal before a foot injury forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Joining the Academy before the 2018-19 season, Fortune worked his way through the ranks in the U-17 and U-19 squads before making his professional debut with ATL UTD 2 against Tampa Bay Rowdies on July 11, 2020. Over the next three seasons, he would become a mainstay in midfield for ATL UTD 2. In 2022, the Raleigh, North Carolina native made 24 appearances, 20 of them starts, logging 1,865 minutes in the USL Championship campaign, including captaining the side on multiple occasions. In his three seasons in the USL Championship, Fortune has made 57 appearances, 41 starts and scored three goals. The midfielder made his debut with the Trinidad and Tobago Senior National Team on Feb. 1, 2021, in a friendly against the United States. He's made 14 appearances for Trinidad and Tobago and scored two goals. Fortune scored his first international goal at the 2023 Gold Cup in a 3-0 win against St. Kitts and Nevis on June 25. He also made four appearances for Trinidad and Tobago U-17s.
2025 (Atlanta United): MLS: Started eight of his 15 appearances in the club’s first 17 matches before suffering a foot injury that forced him to miss the second half of the season. Scored against FC Cincinnati on May 5.
2024 (Atlanta United): MLS: Set career bests in matches played (27), starts (13), minutes (1,298), goals (one) and assists (two) in his second MLS season. Scored his first MLS goal at Charlotte FC on Aug. 31, the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory. Recorded an assist on June 2 against Charlotte FC and June 19 against D.C. United. MLS Cup Playoffs: Started four of Atlanta’s playoff matches and played 328 minutes. Leagues Cup: Started both of Atlanta’s matches against D.C. United and Santos Laguna. U.S. Open Cup: Started two matches and played 90 minutes against both Charlotte Independence and Indy Eleven.
2023 (Atlanta United): MLS: Made 14 appearances, including three starts during his first MLS Regular Season. He played 367 minutes and finished with one assist. The Homegrown was accurate in his passing in central midfield, finishing the regular season at 88.9 percent pass completion. MLS Cup Playoffs: Started two matches and played in all three of the Round One Best-of-three series vs. Columbus Crew. Was credited with an assist in the third match while increasing his passing accuracy to 89.9. U.S. Open Cup: Started and played the full 120 minutes in the match vs. Memphis 901 FC on April 26. MLS Next Pro: Made 11 starts for ATL UTD 2 in 2023. His lone goal of the season came on Sept. 2 vs. FC Cincinnati 2 in a 3-1 victory.
2022 (ATL UTD 2): Made 24 appearances, including 20 starts in the USL Championship. Fortune captained the side on several occasions, showcasing his leadership in the squad. He finished the campaign with 1,865 minutes played and recorded one assist.
2021 (ATL UTD 2): Made 22 appearances and scored 2 goals in the USL Championship. He played a total of 1,211 minutes and scored his first goal of the season on July 29 in a 2-1 win against FC Tulsa. His second goal of the season came on Oct. 17 against Memphis 901 FC.
2020 (ATL UTD 2): Made his professional debut on July 12 against Tampa Bay Rowdies. His first start came a week later against Memphis 901 FC. The midfielder finished the campaign with 11 appearances, including five starts. His first professional goal came on Sept. 13 against Miami FC.
International: Made his Trinidad and Tobago National Team debut on Feb. 1, 2021 against the USMNT. He's made 14 appearances and scored two goals, including his first international goal at the 2023 Gold Cup in a 3-0 win against St. Kitts and Nevis on June 25. He also made four appearances for Trinidad & Tobago U-17s.
