Will Packwood

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This article is about the American soccer player. For the American former politician, see William Packwood.

Will Packwood
Packwood with Birmingham City in 2012 pre-season
Personal information
Full name William James Packwood[1]
Date of birth (1993-05-21) May 21, 1993 (age 30)[2]
Place of birth Concord, Massachusetts, United States
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Position(s) Defender, defensive midfielder
Youth career
2007–2011 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 Birmingham City 18 (0)
2013 → Bristol Rovers (loan) 8 (0)
2014 → Colchester United (loan) 1 (0)
2015 → Cheltenham Town (loan) 5 (1)
Total 32 (1)
International career
2009 United States U17 3 (0)
2011 United States U18 5 (0)
2010–2013 United States U20 9 (0)
2014–2015 United States U23 9 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William James Packwood (born May 21, 1993) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender or defensive midfielder.

Packwood joined the youth academy at English club Birmingham City in 2007 at the age of 14. He made his first-team debut in August 2012 in the Football League Cup, and played in several Football League Championship matches before suffering a severe leg injury in January 2013 which kept out of soccer for several months. After his recovery he spent time on loan to League Two club Bristol Rovers, and in the 2014–15 season had loan spells with League One club Colchester United and League Two Cheltenham Town, both of which ended early due to injury. He was not offered a new deal at the end of that season, and his contract was terminated early to allow him to return to the United States.

Packwood represented the United States in international soccer at levels up to under-23.

Early life[edit]

Packwood was born in Concord, Massachusetts, to an English father and an American mother.[3] He attended the Nashoba Brooks School[4] and the Fenn School[5] prior to moving to England in August 2007, where he attended Bromsgrove School.[6]

Club career[edit]

Packwood joined Birmingham City's youth academy in August 2007, at age 14 years. He progressed through the academy teams, playing for the U18s and Reserves while still a schoolboy, and eventually captaining the U18s in the 2010–11 season. In July 2011, Packwood signed his first professional contract, a two-year contract expiring in July 2013.[7]

In the absence through injury of Stephen Carr and Jonathan Spector, Packwood made his first-team debut on August 14, 2012, starting at right-back in the first round League Cup match against Barnet.[8] He kept his place for the opening match of the 2012–13 Football League season, a 1–1 draw at home to Charlton Athletic.[9] Packwood was carried off the field after sustaining multiple fractures to his tibia and fibula after landing awkwardly from an apparently innocuous aerial challenge during the second half of an FA Cup tie at Leeds United on January 5, 2013. He underwent two surgical procedures in the days after the injury, and his recovery time was estimated at between nine and twelve months.[10] Despite his injury, Packwood's contract was extended for a further year, until the summer of 2014.[11]

Packwood returned to competitive action after less than eight months out, playing the first half of Birmingham's Professional Development League match on August 26.[12] He played a few more times for the development squad, and on October 17 joined League Two (fourth-tier) Bristol Rovers on loan for a month, to improve his match fitness.[13] He made his debut two days later, winning the man-of-the-match award, in a 1–0 loss at home to Wycombe Wanderers.[14] After four matches – he missed Rovers' FA Cup win because Birmingham did not want him cup-tied – the loan was extended until January 11, 2014, on condition that he could be recalled at 24 hours' notice.[15] He played four more matches before Birmingham lost left-back Mitch Hancox to injury, and with fellow defenders Paul Robinson and Dan Burn nearing possible suspensions, Packwood was recalled on December 11.[16]

He returned to Birmingham's first team on January 25, winning the man-of-the-match award in a 2–1 home loss against Swansea City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[17] He became a regular selection at center-back, and his performances earned him the award of Football League Young Player of the Month for February 2014.[18]

Packwood signed a new one-year contract with the option of a further year, on June 26, 2014.[19] He made his first appearance of the 2014–15 season on September 30, as a second-half substitute in Birmingham's 3–1 win away to Millwall. This was his last first-team outing before joining League One club Colchester United on November 24, on loan until January 1, 2015.[20] He went straight into the starting eleven for the visit to Milton Keynes Dons, and was sent off for bringing down Benik Afobe to concede a penalty, which was converted for the fifth goal of a 6–0 defeat. A groin injury sustained while committing the foul meant the loan spell was cut short.[21]

With several defenders ahead of him in the pecking order, Packwood joined League Two club Cheltenham Town on March 11 on loan until the end of the season.[22] Birmingham manager Gary Rowett intended the loan spell as an opportunity for the player to earn a new contract.[23] Packwood impressed on debut in a 1–1 draw away to Newport County,[24] and was the Gloucestershire Echo's star man for the next match, a 2–2 draw at Portsmouth, showing "maturity beyond his years and a terrific defensive display capped with a first senior goal":[25] he found space in the penalty area to score with a glancing header from Matt Richards' free kick.[26] He made five appearances before a pulled hamstring ruled him out for the remainder of the season.[27]

Birmingham chose not to take up their option to extend Packwood's contract for another year, and confirmed that he would be released when it expired.[28] The contract was terminated in early May, to allow him to return to the United States to trial with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.[29] It was later announced on May 18, 2015, that the Revolution would not sign Packwood, after he trained for two weeks with the club.[30]

International career[edit]

In 2009, Packwood was a member of the United States under-17 national team that participated in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria.[31] He played for the under-20 national team at the Dallas Cup in March 2010,[32] on a tour to Uruguay and Chile in June 2012[33] and at the Marbella Cup in October 2012.[34] Packwood was also part of the United States under-18 team for the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland in July 2011.[35]

Packwood received his first call up to the senior squad for a March 5, 2014, friendly against Ukraine,[36] but he and Birmingham teammate Jonathan Spector remained unused substitutes as the United States lost 2–0.[37] He played for the United States under-23 team in a friendly against the Bahamas senior squad in August 2014,[38] and twice more in the following March, against the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Denmark under-21 teams, as part of their buildup to the 2016 Olympics.[39][40]

Post-retirement[edit]

Following his retirement from soccer, Packwood attended Boston College. Since 2021 he has worked for private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, having previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst for Goldman Sachs.[41]

Career statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Birmingham City 2012–13[42] Championship 5 0 1 0 1 0 — 7 0
2013–14[43] Championship 12 0 1 0 0 0 — 13 0
2014–15[44] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
Total 18 0 2 0 1 0 — 21 0
Bristol Rovers (loan) 2013–14[43] League Two 8 0 — — — 8 0
Colchester United (loan) 2014–15[44] League One 1 0 0 0 — — 1 0
Cheltenham Town (loan) 2014–15[44] League Two 5 1 — — — 5 1
Career total 32 1 2 0 1 0 — 35 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. May 2013. p. 4. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  2. ^ "Player Profile: Will Packwood". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  3. ^ "Meet Will Packwood: One Midfielder's Journey from Boston to Birmingham to Bradenton to Nigeria". U.S. Soccer. October 28, 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  4. ^ "Alum news". Nashoba Brooks Bulletin (PDF). Nashoba Brooks School. Fall–Winter 2010. p. 33. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  5. ^ "Fenn Alum Makes World Cup Soccer Squad". The Fenn School. October 20, 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  6. ^ "Bromsgrove School registers its best ever GCSE results". Bromsgrove School. 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  7. ^ "Duo's contract delight". Birmingham City F.C. July 7, 2011. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011.
  8. ^ Tattum, Colin (August 15, 2012). "Birmingham City 5 Barnet 1". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  9. ^ "Birmingham 1–1 Charlton". BBC Sport. August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  10. ^ "American defender Packwood breaks leg in FA Cup". Associated Press. January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
    Evans, Gregg (January 5, 2013). "Birmingham City boss Lee Clark speaks about horror injury to Will Packwood". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
    Tattum, Colin (January 9, 2013). "Picture gallery: Will Packwood's thanks to fans from hospital bed". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  11. ^ Walker, Andy (May 10, 2013). "Packwood pens extension". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  12. ^ Walker, Andy (August 26, 2013). "Barnsley U21s 4 Blues U21s". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  13. ^ "Packwood the Pirate". Birmingham City F.C. October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "Will Packwood ready to step up for Bristol Rovers". Bristol Post. October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  15. ^ McNamara, James (November 13, 2013). "Bristol Rovers extend loan spell of Birmingham City defender Will Packwood". Bristol Post. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  16. ^ McNamara, James (December 11, 2013). "On-loan Bristol Rovers defender Will Packwood recalled by Birmingham City". Bristol Post. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  17. ^ Matt (January 28, 2014). "Catching up with some links". socceroverthere.com. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  18. ^ "Will Packwood named Young Player of the Month". The Football League. March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  19. ^ "Will Packwood signs new one-year deal". BBC Sport. June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  20. ^ Hudson, Matt (November 24, 2014). "U's Flash: Will signs". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  21. ^ Alexander, Jeremy (November 30, 2014). "MK Dons prove masters of the game and worthy of study against Colchester". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
    Dick, Brian (December 11, 2014). "Birmingham City's Will Packwood returns after luckless Colchester United loan spell". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  22. ^ "Official: Packwood loaned to Cheltenham Town". Birmingham City F.C. March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  23. ^ Dick, Brian (March 17, 2015). "Birmingham City duo have a good chance of staying long-term, says Gary Rowett". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  24. ^ "Cheltenham Town loan signing Will Packwood ready to grab chance". Gloucestershire Echo. March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  25. ^ Young, James (March 17, 2015). "Cheltenham Town claim point with encouraging performance at Portsmouth but slip into relegation zone". Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  26. ^ Allen, Neil (March 18, 2015). "Pompey 2 Cheltenham Town 2". The News. Portsmouth. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  27. ^ Young, James (April 6, 2015). "Home truths from Gary Johnson in the Cheltenham Town dressing room after latest defeat". Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  28. ^ Tattum, Colin (May 5, 2015). "Blues announce squad departures". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  29. ^ "Will Packwood to make MLS switch". Birmingham City F.C. May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  30. ^ Macomber, Seth (March 18, 2015). "Revolution Transfers 2015: Revs Won't Sign Will Packwood". Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  31. ^ Sciaretta, Brian (October 20, 2009). "US names roster for U17 World Cup". Yanks Abroad. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  32. ^ "U.S. U-20 MNT Takes Win Against Vancouver Whitecaps". U.S. Soccer. March 29, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  33. ^ "U.S. U-20 MNT Falls to Uruguay at Gran Parque Central". U.S. Soccer. June 6, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
    "U.S. U-20 MNT Falls to Uruguay in Second Friendly". U.S. Soccer. June 8, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  34. ^ "U.S. U-20 MNT Loses 2–1 to Canada in International Friendly at 2012 Marbella Cup". U.S. Soccer. October 10, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
    "U.S. U-20 MNT Blanks Scotland Under-21 MNT 2–0 in International-Friendly". U.S. Soccer. October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
    "U.S. U-20 MNT Holds Off Azerbaijan for 3–2 Win at 2012 Marbella Cup". U.S. Soccer. October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  35. ^ "U.S. U-18 MNT Roster Set for Northern Ireland Milk Cup". U.S. Soccer. July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  36. ^ "Klinsmann Calls in 24 Players for Training Camp in Preparation for March 5 Match Against Ukraine in Cyprus". U.S. Soccer. February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  37. ^ "U.S. Men's National Team Falls 2–0 to Ukraine in Cyprus". U.S. Soccer. March 5, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  38. ^ "U.S. U-23s Post 5–1 Victory Against Bahamas First Team". U.S. Soccer. August 6, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  39. ^ "U.S. U-23 MNT Opens Up 2015 with 5–2 Win Over Bosnia U-21s". U.S. Soccer. March 27, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  40. ^ "U.S. U-23 MNT Falls to Denmark 1–0 to Wrap Up European Camp". U.S. Soccer. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  41. ^ "Will Packwood". hf.com. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  42. ^ "Games played by Will Packwood in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  43. ^ a b "Games played by Will Packwood in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  44. ^ a b c "Games played by Will Packwood in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved May 3, 2015.

External links[edit]

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