There has been a lot of recent talk in the Revolution circles about the lack of business in comparison to their MLS counterparts. This is one to whet the appetites of all though, as there is a new face in New England. Bruce Arena has brought LAFC midfielder Latif Blessing on board.
LAFC’s Latif Blessing Makes the Switch to New England
All About the New Arrival
A solitary season in Kansas City is easy to forget and so the career of Latif Blessing is always associated with LAFC and LAFC only. The Ghanaian international was one of their originals, having played 30 times in the club’s inaugural season.
Even when Bob Bradley moved on to pastures new, up in Toronto, Blessing was still present at Banc of California Stadium. LAFC had that record-breaking season in 2019 in which Latif Blessing put up a career-high return of 34 appearances and nine goal contributions.
𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐬
We’ve acquired @latif_blessing in a trade from @LAFC.
Welcome to the Foxborough 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/R1ZztCA1Df
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) January 3, 2023
2022 was an even more historic season for those in black and gold. The new man in charge was Steve Cherundolo and despite his lack of experience, he was able to guide them to glory, with thanks from a number of star names. The impact that Giorgio Chiellini, Gareth Bale and Carlos Vela to name just a few had quite the range.
The arrival of Ilie Sanchez and Kellyn Acosta limited the minutes going the way of Latif Blessing. He may still have amassed 30 appearances but the 26-year-old didn’t score a single goal and was an unused substitute in all three of the post-season games. Either way, he was part of a side that won both the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.
The details of this deal are as follows, in the words of the Revolution themselves. Blessing arrives “In exchange for $400,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money. LAFC could receive additional GAM if certain performance metrics are met.” Tom Bogert reports that the additional GAM could be up to $300,000 and that “Blessing requested a trade. LAFC didn’t want to lose him, but obliged.”
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Where Will Latif Blessing Fit Into the Squad?
Matt Polster was one of the better New England performers last year amidst all the chaos. He had so much responsibility weighing down on his shoulders and this new signing goes towards relieving that.
Latif Blessing has been an attacking midfielder for a fair amount of his stay on the West Coast, but he has also shown the capability to play deeper. 68 of Blessing’s 167 Major League Soccer appearances came in the former and so it will be fascinating to see how he and Carles Gil intertwine on the field.
Game Changer. LAFC legend.
Best of luck in the next chapter, @latif_blessing. pic.twitter.com/Pcmux1II5l
— LAFC (@LAFC) January 3, 2023
Dylan Borrero, Emmanuel Boateng and the recently re-signed Nacho Gil are amongst the options to be used out-wide, and Blessing is no stranger to that role either. It really will be interesting to see how Blessing fits into Bruce Arena’s plans. 12 months ago he brought in Sebastian Lletget, Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez and we all know how that turned out.
