Sporting KC: Ghana Premier League Star Lands With Kansas City
By Ben Almquist
Kansas City soccer may have gotten a little bit more exciting as Sporting KC has signed Latif Blessing from the Ghana Premier League.
It’s not a stretch to say that Sporting KC is having a very strong offseason. The club’s biggest move is, of course, the re-signing of star Benny Feilhaber. However, Sporting has made a number of moves to add young international talent that may provide a shot in the arm.
So far that has included Brazilian defender Igor Juliao and Guinea-Bissau winger Gerso Fernandes. However, today they signed their most promising talent in Ghanan winger Latif Blessing.
At just 20 years old, Latif Blessing is still more prospect than proven. However, he led the Ghanan Premier League in scoring last year.
Granted, when you think of powerhouse soccer organizations, Ghana doesn’t spring to mind. That is secondary to the point, though. Blessing led the league in scoring at just 20 years old. That says a lot about his potential for growth.
At least that seems to be how Sporting KC is seeing this. The Kansas City soccer club released a statement that specifically mentioned Blessing’s potential. If they are right about the young African star, then this is a big win not just for the club, but for Major League Soccer as a whole.
If Blessing is a budding superstar, then the MLS will be his springboard to the international scene.
Vermes: “The thing we love about [Latf] is that he is young, but with upside as evidence by his goalscoring record with his previous club."
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) January 9, 2017
Sporting has signed Latif Blessing through the 2019 season, plus holds an option on him for the 2020 season. That is a good deal to have on a young guy like this. Blessing, the reigning GPL Player of the Year, will have a lot of opportunities to stand out in Kansas City with the team this club is fielding.
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It’s easy to see that Sporting KC is working hard to get back into the top tier of Major League Soccer. Signing young international players like this is a solid strategy for doing that. Sporting is clearly trying to expand their recruiting circles in order to bring talent in from all over the world. That’s got me excited for 2017 and beyond!