Tyler Blackwood (born 24 July 1991) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a striker.

Club career

Youth and college

Born in London, the former

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

trainee moved to the United States to play

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

at the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...

. Blackwood played three seasons for the

Spartans Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

, scoring 24 goals and 8 assists in his 33 appearances. He did not see any action in his first collegiate season. Blackwood also received both the player of the year and offensive player of the year award two years running, breaking several records at the university. Whilst at the University Of Tampa, Blackwood also took part in the summer PDL league for

Orlando City U-23 Orlando City U-23 was an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the So ...

. He went on to score 15 goals in 14 games for the Lions, finishing #1 in the nation in goals. For his final year of collegiate eligibility Blackwood transferred to nearby

NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

school

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

. Blackwood played 18 games for the

Bulls Bulls may refer to: *The plural of bull, an adult male bovine *Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District Sports *Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding *Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...

, scoring 4 goals and making 3 assists. Blackwood was overlooked for the 2015

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

draft, and returned to England and earned a trial at

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

. He successfully impressed during his trial, and signed his first professional deal with QPR.

Queens Park Rangers

After impressing during a trial, on 10 July 2015 Blackwood signed a one-year deal starting from 1 August 2015 with

. Blackwood scored six goals in total during his first spell with Rangers at the tail end of the previous 2014–15 season, before signing for the club, including a match-winning brace for the Under-21s at

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

and another double in a first team friendly with

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

. On 12 August 2015 Blackwood made his professional debut in Queens Park Rangers 0–3 win over

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

in the first round of the

2015–16 Football League Cup The 2015–16 Football League Cup (known as the Capital One Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the 56th season of the Football League Cup. It began on 11 August 2015 and concluded on 28 February 2016. It is a knock-out competition for the top 92 foo ...

as a substitute replacing

Matt Phillips Matthew Phillips (born 13 March 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Championship club West Bromwich Albion and the Scotland national team. Born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire to British born father of Barbadian desc ...

in the 70th minute at

Huish Park Huish Park is a football stadium located in Yeovil, Somerset, England. The stadium has been home to Yeovil Town F.C. since its completion in 1990, following their relocation from Huish. Huish Park has a capacity of 9,565 (of which two stands ...

Newport County (loan)

On 24 September 2015 Blackwood joined

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

club Newport County on a one-month loan. He made his debut for Newport on 26 September as a 60th-minute substitute in a match against

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

. In the 68th minute Blackwood scored a headed goal and Newport went on to win the match 1–0.

Arizona United

On March 18, 2016, it was announced that Blackwood would be joining

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

side

Arizona United Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship. History On March 13, 2014, Kyle Eng, owner of an advert ...

for the 2016 season.

Sacramento Republic

On November 29, 2016, Blackwood signed with USL Championship side

Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, the ...

for the 2017 season.

Swope Park Rangers

In February 2018, Blackwood signed with

Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Swope S ...

for the 2018 season.

Return to Sacramento Republic

Blackwood returned to Sacramento for the 2019 season.

St. Louis FC

On August 14, 2019, it was announced that Blackwood would join

St. Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wide ...

for the remainder of the season.

Oakland Roots SC

On March 11, 2021, Blackwood signed for USL Championship side

Oakland Roots SC Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, ...

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackwood, Tyler 1991 births Living people English footballers English expatriate footballers University of Tampa alumni Tampa Spartans men's soccer players University of South Florida alumni South Florida Bulls men's soccer players Orlando City U-23 players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Barnet F.C. players USL League Two players English Football League players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Phoenix Rising FC players Sacramento Republic FC players USL Championship players Sporting Kansas City II players Saint Louis FC players Oakland Roots SC players Association football forwards English expatriate sportspeople in the United States