MLS Soccer Legend Set for New American Move Years After League Domination

4 min read

About a year ago, the USL announced that Lexington Sporting Club would join the USL Championship for the 2025 season. Weighing in on this, Bill Shively, the owner of Lexington SC, stated, “Elevating to the USL Championship is the culmination of our efforts to build a premier soccer club in Lexington. This move is a natural next step in our journey, reflecting our commitment to developing talent and growing the sport at the highest level.” But how are they planning to win this season? The answer points to the signing of Latif Blessing

Well, Blessing’s story is currently on a decline. Just when Lionel Messi made a record-breaking deal worth $26M in the league and raised the bar for MLS, Blessing had to move out to join the United Soccer League. Yes, USL is often dubbed the largest professional soccer organization in North America. But the fans also think that with the presence of Messi, Son Heung-min, and Thomas Müller, MLS can surpass the USL. Unfortunately, Blessing wouldn’t be a part of that anymore. 

Tom Bogert recently took to X and announced, “Lexington SC are finalizing a deal to sign longtime MLS midfielder Latif Blessing. Blessing, 28, has made 214 regular season MLS appearances. Spent last year with Houston and Toronto. Best known for time with LAFC.” The news is huge, but the Lexington FC and Blessing are yet to make an official announcement. 

Nevertheless, Lexington SC is gaining quite some attention with a midfield lineup involving Michael Adedokun, Sofiane Djeffal, Devon Williams, and now Latif Blessing. One fan reflected on this when he commented on Bogert’s X post and wrote, “Lexington putting together a pretty solid roster of former/current (loaned) MLS players!” But many others consider this move a hard fall for the former LAFC star. A comment read, “Dude is an open cup and MLS champion , that’s life, up one day down the next.” 

Sources: Lexington SC are finalizing a deal to sign longtime MLS midfielder Latif Blessing.

Blessing, 28, has made 214 regular season MLS appearances. Spent last year with Houston and Toronto. Best known for time with LAFC. pic.twitter.com/7YPSzqI4CA

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 18, 2025

Last season, Houston Dynamo FC acquired Latif Blessing from Toronto FC for $75K. And we can expect a similar amount of capital to be involved in Lexington’s deal with Blessing. But the Nankese-born athlete’s peak was when he played for the Los Angeles FC. 

How does Latif Blessing’s MLS career look?

Blessing began his professional soccer career in 2016 as a member of the Liberty Professionals in the Ghanaian Premier League. He appeared in 21 matches and scored 17 goals. And then, in 2017, he became an MLS star after obtaining a US green card. He began his MLS career as a Sporting Kansas City member. That’s when he scored 6 goals for the team in 31 appearances. He even won the US Open Cup in 2017.

But his peak performance was recorded when he played for the Los Angeles FC. He appeared in a total of 166  matches and scored 18 goals. Five years after joining LAFC, Latif Blessing and his team secured the MLS Cup in 2022. However, Blessing won the Supporters’ Shield in 2019 and in 2022. 

Now, Blessing may step onto the field as a member of Lexington SC in the USL. Of course, this would be his second time in the USL. He last played in the United Soccer League in 2017. In that appearance, he scored one goal for Swope Park Rangers. But now, after coming back from a long stint in the MLS, can he shine more in the USL? 

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