| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Latif Atta Blessing | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-12-30) 30 December 1996 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dynamo | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2014 | Liberty Professionals | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Liberty Professionals | 21 | (17) |
| 2017 | Sporting Kansas City | 25 | (3) |
| 2017 | → Swope Park Rangers (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 2018–2022 | Los Angeles FC | 145 | (14) |
| 2023 | New England Revolution | 15 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Toronto FC | 5 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Toronto FC II (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Houston Dynamo | 14 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 June 2024 | |||
Latif Atta Blessing (born 30 December 1996) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielderorforward for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo FC.
Blessing was born in Nankese, a small village in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District of southeast Ghana.
In 2013, Latif Blessing joined the Liberty Professionals youth team in Accra.[2] He was soon promoted to the senior club for the Ghana Premier League but mainly appeared on the bench for the side.[2] 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.[3]
During the 2016 season, Blessing scored six goals in his first eight games.[2] 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.[4] 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.[5]
In January 2017, Blessing signed with Sporting Kansas CityofMajor League Soccer.[6][7] He made his MLS debut on 11 March 2017 against FC Dallas.[8] On 24 March 2017, Blessing was loaned to Swope Park Rangers, scoring in their match against OKC Energy FC.[9][10] Blessing's first MLS goals came in a brace on 13 May 2017 in a 2–2 draw in Orlando versus Orlando City SC.[11] 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.[12]
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.[13]
In July 2023, he was traded to Toronto FC in exchange for Mark-Anthony Kaye.[14]
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.[15]
Blessing was included in the provisional squad for Ghana before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, but failed to make the final cut.[16]
In 2017, Blessing obtained a U.S. green card allowing him to qualify as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[17] 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.[18][19]
Blessing's brother, Ibrahim Fuseini, currently plays for Lori FC in the Armenian Premier League.[20] He has a twin sister, Latifa.[21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Playoffs | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liberty Professionals | 2016 | Ghanaian Premier League | 21 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 17 | ||||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 25 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 6 | ||
| Swope Park Rangers (loan) | 2017 | USL | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Los Angeles FC | 2018 | Major League Soccer | 30 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 7 | ||
| 2019 | 34 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 6 | ||||
| 2020 | 21 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 3 | |||
| 2021 | 30 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 2 | ||||||
| 2022 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 145 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 166 | 18 | ||
| New England Revolution | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Toronto FC | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| Toronto FC II (loan) | 2023 | MLS Next Pro | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 212 | 35 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 242 | 42 | ||
Sporting Kansas City
Los Angeles FC
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Houston Dynamo FC – current squad
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