Updated May 17, 2023
LATIF BLESSING AT A GLANCE:
MLS CAREER: Owns 177 appearances in Major League Soccer, starting on 128 occasions, with 17 goals and 25 assists across 11,607 minutes in regular season play…In first season with New England, has made seven appearances, starting six times, with one assist…Departed LAFC as the club’s all-time leader in games played and minutes, while ranking second in assists and fifth in both goals and shots…With LAFC, won the 2022 MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield titles in 2019 and 2022…Made 30 appearances for LAFC in 2022, starting 16 time and registering four assists…Notched 30 appearances with 25 starts during the 2021 campaign, scoring two goals and adding three assists…In 2020, made 21 appearances with 18 starts, scoring one goal and tallying four assists…Added an additional 90-minute appearances in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs…Appeared in all 34 regular season matches during the 2019 campaign, starting 29 times and recording six goals and six assists across a career-high 2,689 minutes…Made two additional starts in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, notching one assist over 135 minutes…Logged 30 appearances with 18 starts in 2018, scoring five goals and adding six assists…Added one start in the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs…Selected by LAFC with the second selection in the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft…In first MLS season, made 25 appearances with 16 starts, tallying three goals and two assists…Led Sporting Kansas City to the 2017 U.S. Open Cup title with three goals in the tournament, including a tally in the final…Played 100 minutes in his first MLS Cup Playoffs appearance…Signed with Sporting Kansas City in January 2017 ahead of first MLS season.
2023: In first season with New England, has made seven appearances, starting six times, with one assist…(3/4) vs. HOU: Made club debut, registering his 25th career MLS assist…(3/12) at LAFC: Honored in return to his former club…(4/15) at CLB: Made 175th MLS appearance…(5/6) at TOR: Returned to the matchday roster, making a substitute appearance, after missing the previous two matches due to visa paperwork.
2022 (with Los Angeles FC): Made 30 appearances for LAFC in 2022, starting 16 timess and registering four assists…Helped LAFC to an MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield titles…Added three appearances in the U.S. Open Cup and one appearance in the Leagues Cup…(3/6) vs. POR: Notched first assist of the season…(4/24) at CIN: Tallied game-winning assist as a substitute, playing 18 minutes off the bench…(5/7) vs. PHI: Made 150th MLS appearance, playing 17 minutes as a substitute…(7/29) vs. SEA: Started and played 63 minutes, tallying an assist…(8/3) vs. AME: Started and played 63 minutes in the Leagues Cup Showcase…(8/13) vs. CLT: Played 26 minutes off the bench, registering his fourth assist of the season and final for the club…Postseason: Did not see any action during MLS Cup Playoffs.
2021 (with Los Angeles FC): Notched 30 appearances with 25 starts during the 2021 campaign, scoring two goals and adding three assists…(5/1) at HOU: Tallied first assist of the season…(5/8) at LA: Notched an assist for a second straight match…(6/23) vs. FCD: Netted first goal of the season in a 90-minute shift…(7/28) vs. MIN: Marked his 125th MLS appearance with a 90-minute performance…(10/3) at LA: Recorded 100th MLS start, playing 90 minutes…(10/26) vs. SEA: Registered a goal-and-assist outing, playing 90 minutes.
2020 (with Los Angeles FC): In 2020, made 21 appearances with 18 starts, scoring one goal and tallying four assists…Added an additional 90-minute appearances in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs…Added two appearances in the MLS is Back Tournament knockout rounds…Also appeared in all five Concacaf Champions League matches…(2/19) vs. LEON: Made debut in Concacaf Champions League, starting and playing 90 minutes…(7/13) vs. HOU: Tallied two assists in the MLS is Back Tournament Group Stage opener as the club returned to play after a five-month hiatus…(7/18) vs. LA: Notched an assist in a second straight contest…(7/23) vs. POR: Assisted on a goal for a third straight game…(7/27) vs. SEA: Tallied a goal in the MLS is Back Tournament Round of 16…(9/13) vs. POR: Made 100th appearance in MLS regular season play…(9/23) vs. VAN: Started for the 75th time in his MLS career, playing 90 minutes…(11/1) at SJ: Notched first goal of the regular season…(12/19) vs. AME: Scored first goal in CCL play, helping LAFC advance to the Final…(12/22) vs. UANL: Started and played 90 minutes in the CCL Final…Postseason: (11/24) at SEA: Started and played 90 minutes in the playoff opener.
2019 (with Los Angeles FC): Appeared in all 34 regular season matches during the 2019 campaign, starting 29 times and recording six goals and six assists across a career-high 2,689 minutes…Made two additional starts in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, notching one assist over 135 minutes…Added one goal in three appearances during the U.S. Open Cup…(3/10) vs. POR: Notched first assist of the season…(3/17) at NYC: Registered an assist in a second straight contest, his first start of the season…(4/6) at DC: Tallied third assist of the season…(4/21) vs. SEA: Notched fourth assist of the campaign…(5/11) at CLB: Tallied fifth assist of the season, a game-winner…(5/24) vs. MTL: Netted first goal of the campaign, a game-winner, in a 90-minute shift…(6/1) at POR: Tallied a game-winning goal in a second straight game…(6/11) at RSL: Tallied an assist in U.S. Open Cup play…(7/3) at SKC: Started for the 50th time in his MLS career, playing all 90 minutes…(7/12) at HOU: Played 45 minutes off the bench in his 75th MLS appearance…(8/3) at NE: Tallied third goal of the season in a 90-minute effort…(8/11) vs. NY: Scored in a second straight match for the second time this season…(8/25) vs. LA: Bagged a brace, his first multi-goal game in MLS play…(9/21) vs. TOR: Notched assist on LAFC’s lone goal…(10/6) vs. COL: Registered an assist in the regular-season finale…Postseason: (10/24) vs. LA: Recorded first career assist in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
2018 (with Los Angeles FC): Selected by LAFC with the second selection in the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft…Logged 30 appearances with 18 starts in 2018, scoring five goals and adding six assists…Added one start in the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs…Tallied two goals and an assist in four U.S. Open Cup appearances…(3/3) at SEA: Made debut for LAFC, starting and playing 90 minutes…(3/9) at RSL: Tallied first goal for the club, a game-winner, in an 84-minute starting performance…(4/20) at MTL: Notched second goal of the season…(5/9) vs. MIN: Registered first assist for LAFC in a 90-minute effort…(5/27) vs. DC: Made 25th MLS start, playing 45 minutes in a 1-1 draw…(6/6) vs. FRE: Started and played 90 minutes in U.S. Open Cup play, netting a goal…(6/9) at SJ: Tallied game-winning assist in second half stoppage time…(6/20) vs. SAC: Netted an 89th-minute game-winner in U.S. Open Cup action…(6/30) vs. PHI: Recorded first goal-and-assist performance of his MLS career, scoring once and assisting on two goals…(7/3) at HOU: Scored for a second straight match, starting and playing 65 minutes…(7/7) vs. ORL: Found the scoresheet for a third straight match, netting the game-winning goal and notching an assist…(7/22) at MIN: Tallied sixth assist of the season in a 90-minute effort…(8/8) at HOU: Recorded an assist in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, playing all 120 minutes…Had decisive penalty saved in shootout…(8/19) vs. COL: Played 11 minutes in his 50th MLS appearance…(10/20) vs. VAN: Returned after missing three games due to injury…Postseason: (11/1) vs. RSL: Started and played 76 minutes in the playoff opener.
2017 (with Sporting Kansas City): Signed with Sporting Kansas City in January 2017 ahead of first MLS season…In first MLS season, made 25 appearances with 16 starts, tallying three goals and two assists… Played 100 minutes in his first MLS Cup Playoffs appearance…Scored three goals and added one assist across five additional appearances in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup…Led Sporting Kansas City to the 2017 U.S. Open Cup title, including a tally in the final…(3/11) vs. FCD: Made MLS debut, playing 23 minutes off the bench…(5/13) at ORL: Played 81 minutes and scored two goals in first MLS start…(6/28) at HOU: Notched an assist in U.S. Open Cup action, his first helper for the club…(7/11) vs. FCD: Scored two goals in extra time, including the game-winner, in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals…(7/29) vs. CHI: Scored third goal of the season, his first-career game-winning tally, in an 83-minute effort…(8/6) vs. ATL: Registered first MLS assist in a 90-minute outing…(9/20) vs. NY: Scored opening goal in U.S. Open Cup Final, helping SKC lift the trophy for the fourth time…(10/7) at MIN: Notched second assist of the season…(10/22) at RSL: Recorded 25th MLS appearance, starting and playing 90 minutes…Postseason: (10/26) at HOU: Made MLS Cup Playoffs debut, starting and playing 100 minutes in an extra-time defeat.
CLUB CAREER OUTSIDE OF MLS: Played parts of three seasons with Liberty Professionals of the Ghana Premier League…Named 2016 Ghana Premier League Player of the Year after he led Liberty Professionals with 17 goals in 21 games during his first senior season…Won 2016 Ghana Premier League Golden Boot.
INTERNATIONAL CAREER (Ghana): Included in the provisional squad for Ghana ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Tournament but was not named to the final tournament roster.
PERSONAL: Full name is Latif Atta Blessing…Has twin sister, Latifa, and brother, Ibrahim Fuseini, who plays for Lori FC in the Armenian Premier League…A U.S. Green Card holder, qualifying him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes…Developed in the Liberty Professionals Academy in his native Ghana…Does charity working in his home village of Nankese, delivering soccer cleats and gear every offseason.
