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The three possible origins are from the college pool, from the players on 2s professional contracts, or from our unsigned academy pool. Now, the big question is not only who our next Homegrown Player will be but also where he will come from.

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Look for Fortune to begin next season playing mostly for the MLS NEXT PRO team but with the expectation that he will compete in training for minutes in the crowded central midfield rotation. When paired with Efrain Morales as the 2sвЂ™ new post-Mertz midfield duo, he is now expected to be the good cop. He is fearless and fiery with a nasty streak that would Ozzie Alonso proud but with the intelligence and composure to pick his moments and know his role. Fortune has quickly become a composed release valve for this defense with the remarkable speed and tenacity to make lung-busting recovery runs to deny opposing counterattacks. This season, Fortune paired with then-captain Robbie Mertz as half of a double-pivot midfield that commanded the center of the pitch and moved the ball confidently through wide channels and defense-splitting passes to Tristan Trager up the middle. It's been a rapid rise for 19-year-old Ajani Fortune, and the best is yet to come /KwDFAlNVjK- Atlanta United FC July 21, 2022ДЇortune is a fast-rising talent with a staggering growth trajectory from his raw and reckless early appearances in the USL midfield two years ago to the confident and composed central midfielder fully deserving of the captainвЂ™s armband. Those are wonderful qualities for a coach to work with and admirable qualities for fans and media to witness on and off of the field.ДЄtlanta UnitedвЂ™s most recent homegrown signing embodies those qualities in every way. These players and their young teammates on the 2s and on the first team have earned the trust and praise of their coaches and managers who gush about the selfless, fearless, and relentless qualities of the young men coming from the academy and from the 2s. The club wants smart, athletic, and mature players with good character and a strong work ethic to humbly train, learn, and compete for new opportunities. They all come from the George Bello experiment. With each of these signings, we gain a deeper understanding of the types of players the club is looking to sign out of their academy and out of their collegiate diaspora. Today, we celebrate the accomplishments of each of these young players as they pursue their dreams of competing professionally for their hometown Atlanta United. Noah Cobb signed his first professional contract to play out the 2022 season for the 2s with an official homegrown deal on the way for 2023, and we just learned that Ajani Fortune will be joining him. George Bello transferred to Germany and Caleb Wiley took his place as the 5-Stripes' next talented young leftback. Justin Garces rejoined the club after playing four years of college soccer at UCLA.

Atlanta United has been very busy signing and selling homegrown players since the last one of these articles came out ahead of the 2022 season.

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