LAFC today announced that the Club has exercised the contract option of Latif Blessing, keeping the 22-year-old midfielder in Los Angeles until the 2020 season.

“Latif has proven to be a great fit for us on and off the field,” said LAFC General Manager & EVP of Soccer Operations John Thorrington. “He is an exciting young player who continues to improve, and we look forward to his continued contributions in the coming seasons.”

In his second season with the Black & Gold, Blessing has seen action in all 16 regular season contests (14 starts), notching two goals and five assists in 1,288 minutes logged. The versatile midfielder has been primarily utilized in midfield after two seasons of playing primarily on the wing.

Blessing was initially acquired by LAFC during the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft on December 12, 2017. He would go on to appear in 30 regular season matches in the Club’s inaugural campaign, registering MLS career-highs in goals (5) and assists (6).

Since joining the league in 2017, Blessing has notched 15 goals and 16 assists in 83 appearances across all competitions, including the opening goal of the Sporting KC’s 2-1 victory in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final. While with SKC, Blessing played in 25 regular season matches and all five U.S. Open Cup contests.

TRANSACTION: LAFC exercises 2020 contract option of midfielder Latif Blessing.