Football
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Will Packwood says he'll train with New England Revolution following release

Will Packwood is venturing into new territory following his release from Birmingham City.

Packwood confirmed numerous reports that he is set to begin a training stint with the New England Revolution next week, though he admitted he doesn't know which MLS team owns his discovery rights.

But with the MLS transfer window due to close on May 12, the Massachusetts native said he's keeping all his options open.

"There are possibilities in England and America," he told ESPN FC. "Lots of different possibilities are being looked at. I'm sure the right choice will be made eventually. It's just a question of when.

"[For now], I'm just looking to train well and play well and looking to impress whoever I can."

Packwood spent eight years at Birgmingham, his only professional club, starting out as a 14-year-old in the Blues' academy and eventually breaking through into the first team in 2012.

A broken leg in January 2013 put a halt to his progress, but Packwood returned to the first team nine months later and made a career high 12 league appearances that season.

The 2014-15 campaign proved to be frustrating, however. Groin and hamstring injuries made it difficult to break into the first team, and he was ultimately loaned out twice, first to League One side Colchester United, where he was red-carded in his only appearance.

He later had a five-game stint with League Two Cheltenham Town, scoring his first professional goal in a 2-2 draw with Portsmouth on March 15. His lone appearance for Birmingham came on Sept. 30 when he had a 19-minute stint as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Millwall.

"It's been tough," he said. "Obviously I haven't been on the football pitch as much as I was would like to be. That's a big part of what I'm looking for now, to be playing first-team football, particularly from a national team point of view."

Packwood said he knew there was a possibility he would be leaving Birmingham, and even alerted United States under-23 manager Andi Herzog to the possibility in late March during a U.S. training camp that included games against Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I enjoyed my time there and it was fantastic," he said about his time with the Blues. "I owe them a lot coming through the academy and breaking through into the first team and such. It's going to be a big change. I think it's time for a different challenge and to find something new."

As to where he will end up, Packwood declined to handicap whether a return stateside was more likely than remaining in Europe.

"It comes down to a huge number of things," he said. "What's more likely than the other? I will look at all the options that are on the table and I'll make the decision that I think is good for me in the short term and then be good for me in the long term in terms of my development and trying to push forward to being a full national team player and looking forward to the Olympics."

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