LAFC announced today that the Club has acquired $400,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM) from the New England Revolution in exchange for midfielder Latif Blessing. LAFC could receive up to an additional $300,000 in GAM if certain conditions are met.
“This was a very difficult decision for us,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said. “Latif Blessing is a player who will always be remembered as an LAFC original and someone who helped build this Club both on the field and off. His connection with our fans and community is unmatched. Latif approached the Club requesting a trade, and we are happy that we were able to find a solution that helps Latif in several ways, including with a personal family situation. This is not easy, and we want to thank Latif for all of his contributions to LAFC.”
Blessing, 27, was one of the first players in LAFC history when he was acquired from Sporting Kansas City in the 2018 MLS Expansion Draft. He leaves as the Club’s all-time leader in games played (145), minutes played (9,749) and ranks fifth in goals (14), second in assists (23) and fifth in shots (146).
The Accra, Ghana native appeared in 30 games in 2022 for the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup winning Black & Gold, registering four assists in 16 starts. He enjoyed a career-year in 2019 as LAFC won the Supporters Shield, playing in all 34 regular season games and recording career-highs in goals (6) and assists (6). Blessing played in four of LAFC’s five matches en route to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League Final, scoring a late goal in the semifinal victory over Club America and starting the final vs. Tigres.
In his career, Blessing has played in 170 total MLS regular season matches, with 17 goals and 24 assists.
TRANSACTION: Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) acquires $400,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money from New England Revolution in exchange for midfielder Latif Blessing.
