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. It’s been part of the job.
“You just have to embrace it,” Blackett said Tuesday. “I always feel like when changes happen or challenges occur, or however you want to look at it, it’s a chance to grow. It’s a chance to learn more, experience more and that’s what it is here.”
Here? That would be in Albuquerque. With New Mexico United.
It’s 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 — the second tier of English soccer — 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.
It’s been two years — October would have marked three — 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 wasn’t without its own challenges. Outside the original recovery period, there were multiple setbacks that delayed full healing for almost a year.
“It was tough, physically, doing rehab,” Blackett said. “It 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.”
Talking to others helped somewhat. It was a way to share what he was thinking and how he was feeling. He’s 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, it’s soccer. Injuries happen. How he responded and how he approached those setbacks, that’s when Blackett began to notice a shift.
“It was just a self-motivation, really,” Blackett said. “I think for a while it was lost and there were some doubts in myself and then it got to a point where it was, ‘I’m not done yet and I have more to offer.’ I’m still competitive and I want to prove myself right, first and foremost, more than anyone else.
“Everyone else is going to have their opinions and I’m not really bothered by those. It’s 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.”
Whether Blackett does — and both he and United (2-3) are hoping that’s the case — will be more of a wait-and-see approach.
His availability for Saturday’s USL Cup match against AV Alta FC (0-2-4) is still to be determined, manager Dennis Sanchez said. Blackett spent Tuesday’s practice — United’s first coming off its bye week — in the background running through some drills and sprints.
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 team’s 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 season’s captain. And he saw United, a club that reached the Western Conference final in 2025, the same way.
“I actually have indirectly known Tyler for a long time,” Sanchez said. “I 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, I’ve been following him for years. I think you saw somebody with tremendous upside, IQ, demeanor, even at a young age.
“Full transparency, I would say (he) fell a little bit off the radar. … I think he ticks a lot of the boxes of someone we’re 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 that’s playing aboard or for different coaches and in playing styles or overcoming setbacks and adversities.”