- Source: Latif Blessing
Latif Atta Blessing (born 30 December 1996) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo FC.
Early life
Blessing was born in Nankese, a small village in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District of southeast Ghana.
Club career
= Ghana
=In 2013, Latif Blessing joined the Liberty Professionals youth team in Accra. He was soon promoted to the senior club for the Ghana Premier League but mainly appeared on the bench for the side. Blessing received particularly good reviews for his performance during a Premier League match against Asante Kotoko on 21 June 2015. In that match, he scored in the 21st minute to equalize before providing two assists, leading Liberty Professionals to a 3–1 victory.
During the 2016 season, Blessing scored six goals in his first eight games. After his hat-trick on the final day of the season against Bechem United, Blessing would go on to finish the season as the top scorer in the league with 17 goals. His performance during the season was recognized in December 2016 when Blessing won the best player of the league award by the Ghana Football Association.
= Major League Soccer
=In January 2017, Blessing signed with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. He made his MLS debut on 11 March 2017 against FC Dallas. On 24 March 2017, Blessing was loaned to Swope Park Rangers, scoring in their match against OKC Energy FC. Blessing's first MLS goals came in a brace on 13 May 2017 in a 2–2 draw in Orlando versus Orlando City SC. On 20 September 2017, Blessing scored in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final, as Sporting Kansas City won the 2017 U.S. Open Cup.
In December 2017, Blessing was selected by Los Angeles FC with the second selection of the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft. He made his debut for the club as a starter in their first MLS match, a 1–0 victory at Seattle Sounders FC.
On January 3, 2023, Blessing was acquired by New England Revolution in exchange for $400,000 in GAM for Los Angeles FC.
In July 2023, he was traded to Toronto FC in exchange for Mark-Anthony Kaye.
In March 2024, he was traded to Houston Dynamo FC in exchange for $75,000 in 2025 GAM and up to $200,000 in conditional 2025 GAM.
International career
Blessing was included in the provisional squad for Ghana before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, but failed to make the final cut.
Personal life
In 2017, Blessing obtained a U.S. green card allowing him to qualify as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. However, in 2023, as part of the process to bring his family over via a visa, he had to give up his green card and reapply under a visa status, returning him to counting as an international player.
Blessing's brother, Ibrahim Fuseini, currently plays for Lori FC in the Armenian Premier League. He has a twin sister, Latifa.
Career statistics
As of match played 21 October 2023
Honours
Sporting Kansas City
U.S. Open Cup: 2017
Los Angeles FC
MLS Cup: 2022
Supporters' Shield: 2019, 2022
References
External links
Latif Blessing at Major League Soccer
Latif Blessing at Soccerway
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Los Angeles FC
- Nicki Minaj
- Kualifikasi Piala Dunia FIFA 2002 – Babak Kedua CAF
- Latif Blessing
- Los Angeles FC
- El Tráfico
- MLS Cup 2022
- MLS Cup 2023
- Ghana Premier League
- Yaw Annor
- Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
- 2024 Toronto FC season
- List of Major League Soccer transfers 2024
