Will Packwood out for season

January 5, 2013
By ESPN.com news services

LEEDS, England -- American defender Will Packwood broke his left leg Saturday playing for English club Birmingham in the FA Cup and will miss the rest of the season.

The 19-year-old Packwood was stretchered off at Leeds after landing awkwardly on the leg following a collision with Luciano Becchio during the 1-1 draw in the third round.

"The early diagnosis is a break to both the fibula and tibia," Birmingham manager Lee Clark said.

"His young teammates and friends were distraught on the pitch, in tears," he added. "I said, 'Let's try and win the game for Will.' We couldn't quite do it but I thought we deserved to do so."

Saturday's match at Leeds was Packwood's seventh appearance of the season.

"We will give him as much care and support as possible and have him back fit and strong for next season," Clark said. "We should be celebrating a fantastic performance by my young players, but this is a real downer. I heard the snap and was hoping it was a shin pad. It was an innocuous one with two players going for the ball."

Packwood, from Concord, Mass., moved to England as a 15-year-old and rose through second-tier club Birmingham's academy before earning a two-year professional contract in 2011.

"We've lost a good young player who's a magnificent kid," Clark said. "We love him to bits at the football club. He's so honest and genuine and he's a good pro."

Packwood, who has an English father and American mother, has played for the United States youth teams.

Information from The Associated Press and Press Association was used in this report.