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Tyler Blackett, a 32-year-old defender from Manchester, is aiming for a successful comeback with New Mexico United. He embraces new challenges and experiences as opportunities for growth in his career.
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Even amid the desert and mountain backdrop that poked its way through the fencing surrounding the green grass, the man from Manchester, England looked comfortable.
New cities. New stadiums. New teammates. New coaches. Tyler Blackett has gotten accustomed to different surroundings. Itâs been part of the job.
âYou just have to embrace it,â Blackett said Tuesday. âI always feel like when changes happen or challenges occur, or however you want to look at it, itâs a chance to grow. Itâs a chance to learn more, experience more and thatâs what it is here.â
Here? That would be in Albuquerque. With New Mexico United.
Itâs the place and club the 32-year-old defender is hoping to make a successful comeback and initiate a second career arc after stints in the Premier League, where he made 12 appearances for Manchester United in 2014-15, the Football League Championship â the second tier of English soccer â as well as the Scottish Premiership and the MLS.
Why is he coming back? Because Blackett missed it. All of it. The banter and camaraderie. The training. The competition, too.
More than anything, he believes he has more to give. Or is it more to prove? Both, really. To the game. To himself.
Itâs been two years â October would have marked three â since Blackett last played in a competitive match after injuries threatened to derail his career. (Although some initial visa issues that have since been resolved threatened to complicate matters.) Specifically to his hamstrings, both of them. He required surgery on his right one and even that wasnât without its own challenges. Outside the original recovery period, there were multiple setbacks that delayed full healing for almost a year.
âIt was tough, physically, doing rehab,â Blackett said. âIt was tough mentally, too. That was probably tougher. A lot of doubts and a lot of questions from other people. There were some darker days that you have to manage as best as possible.â
How he did it was in two parts.
Talking to others helped somewhat. It was a way to share what he was thinking and how he was feeling. Heâs become more open and expressive than he was in his younger years.
Simplifying things and some self-reflection, however, proved to be even more insightful. Yes, itâs soccer. Injuries happen. How he responded and how he approached those setbacks, thatâs when Blackett began to notice a shift.
âIt was just a self-motivation, really,â Blackett said. âI think for a while it was lost and there were some doubts in myself and then it got to a point where it was, âIâm not done yet and I have more to offer.â Iâm still competitive and I want to prove myself right, first and foremost, more than anyone else.
Tyler Blackett has played in the Premier League for Manchester United, the Football League Championship, the Scottish Premiership, and Major League Soccer.
Blackett feels comfortable and sees the move as a chance to grow and learn in his career.
Blackett has faced challenges related to adapting to new cities, teammates, and coaches throughout his career.
He hopes to make a successful comeback and initiate a second career arc with New Mexico United.

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âEveryone else is going to have their opinions and Iâm not really bothered by those. Itâs really proving to myself and challenging myself to get to a level I know I can get to. I wanted to get back to a team environment and be a player who can offer the team something.â
Whether Blackett does â and both he and United (2-3) are hoping thatâs the case â will be more of a wait-and-see approach.
His availability for Saturdayâs USL Cup match against AV Alta FC (0-2-4) is still to be determined, manager Dennis Sanchez said. Blackett spent Tuesdayâs practice â Unitedâs first coming off its bye week â in the background running through some drills and sprints.
But getting back to a club had to happen first.
So Blackett spent the better part of the last year training and then training some more. By himself. Participating in indoor games. Simply as another teamâs practice player, set up through the various contacts. Anywhere he could find a place to get a session in.
It was grueling. It was a grind. It was a lot of nondescript hours. And yet, it was also worth it.
It paid off. He spent the preseason with Colorado Springs. United reached out soon afterward. Blackett seemed like the right fit to help replace the departure of Kalen Ryden, last seasonâs captain. And he saw United, a club that reached the Western Conference final in 2025, the same way.
âI actually have indirectly known Tyler for a long time,â Sanchez said. âI was fortunate to go on preseason (tour) a few times with Man United and I was part of the preseason that he was essentially emerging onto the first time with Man U. So in a way, Iâve been following him for years. I think you saw somebody with tremendous upside, IQ, demeanor, even at a young age.
âFull transparency, I would say (he) fell a little bit off the radar. ⊠I think he ticks a lot of the boxes of someone weâre looking for. He can step into this group and help us reach our goals. I always prefer, especially with older players, guys with an array of experiences, whether thatâs playing aboard or for different coaches and in playing styles or overcoming setbacks and adversities.â
Blackett has gone through his share. Now, heâs trying to show everyone, but really himself, that he was right.
The first chapter of his career might be over. The second is just starting.
And heâs more than comfortable with that.
âI feel like when I was younger, at some clubs, I wasnât as embracive of the moment Iâm in,â Blackett said. âSo now, Iâm just very much embracing the moment and trying to make this second part of my career the best part.â
David Glovach covers New Mexico United and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X @DavidGlovach.