New England Revolution sign midfielder Latif Blessing from LAFC

The New England Revolution have signed midfielder Latif Blessing in a trade with Los Angeles FC, the club announced Tuesday.

Blessing spent the last five seasons with the Black and Gold after originally arriving in MLS with Sporting Kansas City. The 26-year-old played 167 games for LAFC across all competitions, scoring 18 goals and assisting another 18, while helping the club lift MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield titles.

The Revs have paid $400k in General Allocation Money (GAM) for Blessing, who joins former USMNT striker Bobby Wood as the major incomings to Gillette Stadium so far this winter.

“Latif Blessing will be a very good addition to our team. He is a veteran MLS player with championship caliber experience,” Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena said in a club press release

Despite his quality and experience, Blessing started to find games harder to come by in 2022, starting just 16 of his 30 MLS appearances. Still, he was a well-loved figure among supporters and will be missed by the '3252'.

“This was a very difficult decision for us,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said in a statement. “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.”