If everything goes as planned a few days from now, Latif Blessing will have what he wants most in the world.
In early January, the Los Angeles Football Club received $400,000 in general allocation money from the New England Revolution for Blessing, a 26-year-old sparkplug in the midfield who along with Carlos Vela were the lone LAFC originals on last year’s league championship roster.
Coming shortly after the MLS Cup in November, Blessing’s trade request followed unsuccessful attempts over five years to secure the arrival of his mother and wife to L.A. Otherwise, the green card holder was limited to visiting them once a year in Ghana.
“I don’t want to do that. I need my family with me,” Blessing said prior to returning to a city said he loves for a match on Sunday against his old friends at BMO Stadium.
Despite LAFC’s sincere efforts and on-field success, frustration mounted as the immigration process failed to deliver like Blessing hoped while other international players arrived with their families in tow.
“I want to play and see my wife in the stadium cheering for me,” he said. “That’s why I said to [LAFC] I want to move to somewhere I can be with them.”
Blessing expects the move to pay off. His family, including a 6-month-old daughter, could reunite in the Boston area as early as next week.
“I’m so happy,” he said. “It’s happening.”
When it does, Blessing will show-off the LAFC championship ring he is handed in the pregame ceremony on Sunday.
“Not just any soccer player achieved this, so when I achieved this I have to be happy with myself,” Blessing said. “I’m excited to receive this ring and show it to my wife and my mom. They’re going to be as excited to see it as I am to receive the ring.”
Blessing appeared in 30 league games throughout the Supporters’ Shield-MLS Cup double last year, but none in the playoff run. Sitting on the bench upset him and also contributed to his desire to leave after conversations…
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