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Leah Fortune
Home Nation: Brazil/USA
Age: 25
Height: 5'7''
Club: Orlando Pride
Position: Midfielder

On Fortune and Faith

How the stars have finally aligned to give the former youth international standout a second shot at soccer

 

 

On a damp Sunday morning this past January, dozens of trialists descended on Sanford, Florida for an open tryout with the Orlando Pride. NWSL clubs generally hold pre-season tryouts to round out their amateur roster, with maybe one player having a legitimate spot to make t with the pro team.

 

The standout players at these tryouts are usually college seniors that went undrafted, or NCAA players one year removed from the college game. They most certainly do not include a 25 year old former member of the Brazilian women’s national team.

 

Yet, Leah Fortune was there, and earned an opportunity to train with the likes of Ashlyn Harris, Alex Morgan, Steph Catley, and the rest of the star-studded Orlando Pride line-up.

 

For an organization like the Orlando Pride, whose own stars magically aligned to kickoff the NWSL season in 2016, it seems appropriate that they would find the Brazilian-American through trials to round out their roster. (The majority owner is Brazilian, as is Orlando City mega-star Kaka).

 

So, who is Leah Fortune?

 

Leah Fortune was born in Sao Paulo to American parents. Fortune and her family eventually settled down in Chicago, but the young soccer phenom still spent a significant portion of her teenage years playing soccer in Brazil.

 

"On a leap of faith, I went to a 10-day camp that turned into a five years" Fortune said of her stint with the Brazilian program. 

 

"I was playing for regional teams in America and Brazil" Fortune explained, "and the Brazilian U-20 coach saw me play and asked me to go play in the U-20 World Cup when I was 16." Eventually she was called into senior camps with the likes of Marta and fellow Orlando Pride teammate Monica Hickman Alves.

 

FORTUNE'S CAREER DERAILED BY INJURY

 

Unfortunately, Leah's blossoming career was derailed by a torn in ACL that occurred during a camp with the Brazilian women's national team. Though she rehabbed, Leah turned her attention to coaching until she recently discovered the Orlando Pride were joining the NWSL.

 

As fate would have it, Leah's parents moved to the Orlando area several years ago. Blessed with a place to live, the time was right for Fortune to take another leap of faith and give her professional soccer career another go. As they say, the rest is history.

 

Though Leah has yet to see playing time, and regardless of her on-the-field impact, Leah has proven that if you work hard and have faith, fortunes can change. 

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