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BEHIND THE STRIPES

Jenny Meyer

By Atlanta United FC

May 23^rd, 2024

Jenny Meyer is self-proclaimed “soccer geek.”

She’s seen soccer all over the world, attending three women’s World Cup finals, including in Lyon, France in 2019 when she witnessed the U.S. women’s national team lift the trophy. Later this year, she’ll be traveling to a soccer conference in Madrid, Spain. Already she has a trip to Metropolitano Stadium, the venue of Atlético Madrid, on her itinerary.

Add that to watching soccer matches as a Founding Member and season ticket holder at Atlanta United, she holds a passport every soccer fan would covet.

“I'm so into soccer just because that's what I do,” she says.

Jenny herself was a standout soccer player. As a high school senior, she earned all-county recognition, which landed her a cover story in the Orlando Sentinel. The best high school women’s player in the game, Jenny of Edgewater, appeared with the best high school men’s player: none other than Dax McCarty of Winter Park.

The main photograph was the two of them side-by-side in front of a soccer net, the teenagers equipped with intimidating glares.

As part of the all-Orange County team, both Dax and Jenny were on their way to big things when their feature story was published. As a sophomore, Dax was preparing for an invite to training camp for the United States U-17 men’s national team. Jenny was a senior getting ready to play college soccer at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

When Dax signed with Atlanta United leading into the 2024 season, Jenny was excited, not only because, as a soccer geek, she knew Dax as a quality player, but because of their personal connection. She looked for the opportunity to reconnect with Dax and maybe get another photo with him.

And on April 19, the high school standouts reunited. With the help of Atlanta United, the two recreated the photo spread from their high school years. More than two decades passed between the two photo shoots – still, Jenny and Dax became teenagers again, sharing their love of soccer, catching up on their lives and even calling back to their intimidating glares.

“It’s exciting because it's 21 years ago,” she says. “It's crazy to think that we both ended up in the same city, same town, somewhat similar paths... I'm doing kind of what I wanted to do. So, I think that's just kind of exciting and how you can kind of see the future but you never know if you're ever cross paths again.”

The two were in Florida when they received their high school all-county accolades. Both Dax and Jenny relished the fact that they ended up in Atlanta.

“It’s never a bad thing to sock it to Orlando. Look at where we ended up,” Jenny says, with a chuckle.

While Dax went on to become one of the most capped professionals in MLS history, Jenny built a solid career of her own. In high school, she scored more than 100 goals. In college, she started playing forward, then moved to left fullback and learned how to play a winger style. She describes herself in those playing days as “a workhorse” with a lot of speed. One of her coaches said in the article that she had a ‘knack for goal.’

“I loved scoring but then I moved to defense, so I loved getting the long-ball assists and stuff like that,” she says.

"I’m so into soccer just because that’s what I do."

Post-college, she continued some in Atlanta, playing for the Silverbacks women’s team while substitute teaching. Once her soccer career was over, she used her own experience with injuries to build a career as a physical therapist. Jenny has now worked more than 12 years in sports medicine.

“I’m always trying to get kids better and back to the field,” she says. “Because I’ve had those injuries through college and after college, and I know how important it is because unfortunately when you're younger, that's how you define yourself on what you do. As you get older, you have to figure that out.”

Her love for soccer never waned once she hung up her cleats. Jenny stayed involved in the sport. And when she found out that Major League Soccer was expanding to Atlanta, she signed up, becoming a founding member of the club. Now, she and her family have season tickets and go to as many matches as they can.

“It’s a good atmosphere no matter where you sit, and I’ve sat in a few different spots, but I kind of like looking straight on so I don't have to like keep turning my head [to follow the ball],” she said. “The excitement around the crowd, everybody being there, you can tell when it's a bigger game, it's more grounded and more energetic. But it's always an energetic feeling.”

She’s seen some major moments in Atlanta United history from her seats in these stands. Most recently, she watched the U.S. women’s national team play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the SheBelieves Cup match on April 6 for her mom’s birthday. She cites the MLS Cup in 2018 as one of her favorite memories.

“That was awesome,” she says. “Being there for that atmosphere because you don't never know if you'll get to go again.”

“It’s crazy to think that we both ended up in the same city, same town, somewhat similar paths."

And as a passionate supporter, Jenny looks forward to the future. With U.S. Soccer setting up their headquarters in the city, and major global tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and Copa América soon coming to Atlanta, there will be plenty more world-class soccer for Jenny to watch – right in her own backyard.

“It shows how much it's growing out here and becoming more popular. I think that's a good thing for the club,” she says. And it's a good thing for the South because people said soccer in the south is never going to happen, but it can happen. For U.S. Soccer, we had the biggest crowd for a non-tournament and domestic, so that shows the quality of the fans that will be here and come here and I think Atlanta is more of a central location so it's easier to bring stuff to this area.”

Footnotes

Story by Sandy McAfee / Photos by Mitch Martin

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FootNotes

Story by Sandy McAfee / Photos by Mitch Martin

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