With the 2020 MLS season on temporary hold, SportingKC.com is taking daily strolls down memory lane with an "On This Day" web series that celebrates memorable moments in team history. As one of Major League Soccer's proud charter members, Sporting has a decorated past full of thrilling victories, amazing goals, momentous off-the-field developments and more. "On This Day" pays tribute to these specific instances, turning back the clocks while treating fans to nostalgia and club history lessons. To catch up on the series as it unfolds, visit SportingKC.com/OnThisDay.
With Dom Dwyer serving a one-game suspension, another Sporting Kansas City forward made the most of his opportunity three years ago today.
Enter Latif Blessing, a 20-year-old spark plug who joined Sporting a few months after landing 2016 Ghana Premier League MVP honors. The diminutive Blessing struck in either half of an entertaining 2-2 draw in Orlando on May 13, 2017, showcasing a knack for goal that put an end to the Lions’ perfect home record at the new Orlando City Stadium.
At 20 years and 134 days, Blessing became the youngest player in Sporting history to score twice in a competitive match. He also became the fifth player—and just the third since 1996—to bag a brace in his first MLS start for the club. The other four players to strike twice in their Kansas City debuts? That would be Digital Takawira and Mo Johnston in 1996, Birahim Diop in 2010 and Omar Bravo in 2011.
Blessing’s double highlighted a solid away performance from a Sporting side that outshot Orlando 14-7 and forced Lions goalkeeper Joe Bendik to make six saves. Much of the visitors’ success was predicated on a possession-oriented approach that saw Manager Peter Vermes’ men enjoy 62 percent of possession. With the hosts content to drop numbers behind the ball and absorb pressure for extended periods, Sporting's 88.8 percent passing accuracy that evening remains its eighth-highest in the MLS regular season during the Opta era (2010-present).
Blessing went on to score in the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Children's Mercy Park in September, helping Sporting to a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls as Vermes and Co. claimed their fourth major championship in a six-year span.
