Ghanaian duo Latif Blessing and Derrick Jones have been named in the 2018 Major League Soccer best 22 players under age 22.
Blessing who plays for Los Angeles FC is ranked at No.11 and Jones of Philadelphia Union is at No.22.
The panel ranked the eligible players based on the following criteria: technical ability, tactical IQ, physical attributes and future potential.
Latif Blessing:
The Ghanaian was unheralded signing for Sporting KC prior to the 2017 season. The diminutive attacker was named the 2016 Ghana Premier League player of the year and came to the US to learn under Peter Vermes.
He started 16 games for SKC in 2017 but really stood out as the team made a run to the U.S. Open title, as Blessing scored three goals including the opener in the final.
He was selected by LAFC in the expansion draft, and has been a useful piece for Bob Bradley as a change of pace option.
The 5-foot-7 forward has blazing speed and the shiftiness needed to make any defender stumble in a 1v1 situation.
Watch Latif Blessing strut his stuff:
Derrick Jones
Born in Ghana, Jones arrived in the US when he was 14 years old and joined the Union academy when he was 16.
The midfielder would go on to receive a call-up to the US Under-20 national team and eventually appear in four matches at the 2017 U-20 World Cup, where the US advanced the quarterfinals.
Jones has been a consistent presence for Bethlehem Steel in USL, the Union's affiliate, and has come on strong in MLS play during the second half of the 2018 season.
Expect him to compete for a starting role in 2019.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS