When Jay Fortune stepped onto the pitch in the 67th minute of Atlanta United’s match against New York City FC, the 23-year-old made a bit of history. His appearance on Saturday was his 85th appearance for the club across all competitions, tying him with Caleb Wiley for the club record for most appearances by a Homegrown Player.
And he celebrated the occasion with a goal in the 74th minute, helping Atlanta play NYCFC to a 2-2 draw.
“It’s a big thank you to Atlanta for just having that trust in me. And it’s great when you put your mind towards something and you wanna try to achieve those goals that you have set. Mine was playing,” Fortune said afterwards in the locker room.
“Did I have a goal to have the most appearances for a Homegrown? No, but it just goes to show, just keep working, and things can happen. And from now, it’s just about setting new goals and trying to reach those.”
Getting back to fitness
Fortune has been working his way back into the lineup after missing nearly two months because of a nagging hamstring injury. He remains on a minutes restriction as a result, which he termed “very annoying” while remaining understanding of the club’s position. He started and played the first half against Orlando City before 57 minutes at D.C. United and eight minutes as a substitute at the Portland Timbers.
That cautious approach is especially important, given his recent contract extension that locked him up through the 2028-29 season with an option for 2029-30.
“(The) coaches are looking out for me and making sure that I don’t get anything too serious happening. So you always need somebody who makes smart decisions for you,” Fortune said.
“But for me, it’s just about not trying to do too much, like not going in with the mindset of I have to do this in this amount of time, just letting the game come to me. And just trying to get that rhythm and that confidence in that little bit of time that I do have.”
“Just keep focusing on us”
Atlanta’s draw doesn’t help it much in the standings as it tries to rally to a playoff appearance, but it doesn’t hurt them much, either. It ended the evening six points behind eighth-placed Red Bull New York, ninth-placed NYC, and 10th-placed FC Cincinnati — which fell to CF Montréal 3-1 — but RBNY and Cincinnati have a match in hand. D.C., who also have a match in hand, is three points up after a 3-3 draw at the Vancouver Whitecaps, while Toronto FC is two points ahead in 12th after losing to Nashville SC 2-0.
In that regard, it’s a missed opportunity. But Fortune noted the long odds the club faced in 2024, when it clinched a postseason appearance on Decision Day before stunning Inter Miami in the first round.
“Just keep putting performances together, keep staying together, keep focusing on us,” he said. “I think the moment you start to try and focus on other teams is when you can start to lose it. We’ve been in situations like this before, where there was no expectation of us to make playoffs, and we were so able to do it, and you just try and do it again.
“Every time you step on the field, you put your best foot forward, and you end the season knowing that you gave it your best effort.”