On July 21, 2022 Atlanta United signed midfielder Ajani Fortune to a Homegrown contract through the 2024 season with multiple additional option years, effective Jan. 1, 2023. 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 Trinidad & Tobago midfielder came through Atlanta United’s Academy before establishing himself as a mainstay with ATL UTD 2 over the past several seasons. In 2022, the Raleigh, North Carolina native made 24 appearances, 20 of them starts, logging 1,865 minutes in the 2022 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 has scored three goals.
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 Charleston Battery on July 11, 2020.
The midfielder earned his first international call-up for the Trinidad and Tobago national football team on Jan. 31, 2021, making his debut against the United States in a friendly the next day; On June 25, 2023, Fortune scored his first goal for his country in a 3-1 win vs. St. Kitts/Nevis. He has earned six caps for his country.
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 senior national team debut on Feb. 1, 2021 against the USMNT. He's made eight appearances with the senior national team and 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 & Tobago U-17s.
