More than just good fortune
West Chicago Press - By John Barrett - February 14, 2008
West Chicago, IL -
If you played soccer against Leah Fortune and blinked, she was probably by you already.
Some people at Wheaton Academy may have felt that way last month when the junior spent two weeks in Brazil as the youngest player trying out for that country’s U-20 women’s national team.
Well, she's gone again after receiving word that she had made the team and she flew out Sunday morning to begin her 46-day stint training with and helping Brazil prepare for the South American championships next month. A title there puts Brazil (which won that title in both 2004 and 2006) into the U-20 Women’s World Cup at the end of the year.
“It's incredible — I don't know how to explain it,” Fortune said. “It's an awesome opportunity that’s come as the result of a lot of hard work, dedication and focus. The Lord has really blessed me with putting this in my life.”
Fortune, 17, who lives within eye contact of Wheaton Academy, was born in Brazil to American parents who were living in that country while her dad, Hudson, was working there. The family came to the Aurora/Naperville area about two years later and then moved to West Chicago four years ago.
But Leah has been with a soccer ball almost since she could walk, and her father is a big reason why. Not only did he grow up and play soccer in Brazil, he captained the soccer team at Indiana and has directed Team Chicago club soccer since 1977, he was captain of the soccer team at Indiana and coaches the U.S. U-17 national girls team.
Leah has traveled to Brazil twice a year for the past several years to keep playing soccer and learning the country’s native language, Portuguese. Her grandmother on her father’s side lives in Brasilia, the nation’s capital.
Leah has traveled with her club team, Team Eclipse, often but has never been away from home for this length of time. She’s due to return in the middle of Wheaton Academy’s spring break at the end of March and while she’ll be thousands of miles away in body, she won’t be far in spirit.
One reason is that she’s taken a laptop computer with her and will be keeping the same course schedule as schoolmates in all of her classes by e-mail.
“My school is incredible — all of my teachers are so excited for me and have been so totally understanding,” Fortune said. “But basically, I’m going to be home-schooling myself.”
While she’s toeing that complicated line, Fortune will be displaying the soccer skills that have left their mark in DuPage County and beyond.
Wheaton Academy head coach Dave Underwood can remember one specific day when Fortune kept her team in the game.
“We were playing Geneva and we had five starters on the bench with injuries — Leah single-handedly kept us in that game,” Underwood said. “We eventually lost (3-2) but any time we had Leah on the field, we had a chance to win. She’s literally in scoring range 35-40 yards out and is that rare player who has the combination of top-flight, God-given ability and has the work ethic to match.”
“It’s an unbelievable privilege for Leah — it’s difficult to put into words how much of an honor it is for her to be training with the absolute best players in the world,” Underwood added. “She’s living the dream.”
The reasons why Leah has excelled in soccer are numerous — humility, passion, maturity, athletic skill and technical skill that makes her seem much taller than her 5-foot-3 frame.
Her athletic skill was perhaps best displayed not too long ago. After missing the majority of the basketball season with a broken thumb, Leah returned to the Warriors’ lineup for a trio of games. She went 2-for-2 from the field in her first game back, 2-for-2 from 3-point range in her final game and snagged an amazing 14 steals total.
“It was obviously wonderful to have her back if only for a few games,” said Wheaton Academy girls basketball coach Beth Mitchell. “To be out as long as she had been and then come back and put up those numbers, it was almost as if she never missed a game.”
“When she went down it was like losing the quarterback of our team — she was our leader and playmaker,” Mitchell added. “She’s the kind of kid everyone wants on their team.”
After her time with Brazil, Leah plans to step right into her junior campaign with the Warriors. Last year, she tallied 17 goals and nine assists and could’ve put even bigger numbers.
“Leah is so coachable and unselfish — sometimes to a fault,” Underwood said. “There have been times where I’ve had to pull her aside and tell her `we need you to score more’.”
Leah’s one-on-one attacking ability has already made her a dangerous player to defend. Combine that with toughness (that thumb was broken in three places and the nail was torn off) and training with world-class players, opponents may have an even harder time this spring.
“The way they play in Brazil is completely different — it’s a beautiful game,” Fortune said. “They have fun with it. Every touch, every pass is perfect. Their skill level is incredible.”
“When I come back, I just want to bring the love of the game with me,” Fortune added. “My friends and teammates are so ecstatic and are praying for me. It’s going to be tough down there but I have heart that I will succeed.”
Fortune by the numbers
28 Number of players invited to try out for the U-20 Brazilian women’s national team
2 Number of international players invited
14 Number of steals she had in three basketball games between Brazil trips
2 Number of countries in which she has citizenship