Tommy Smith (footballer, born 1990)

Thomas Jefferson Smith (born 31 March 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for the New Zealand national team. A graduate of the Ipswich Town academy, he plays primarily as a centre back, but can also play as a left back. Smith spent 11 years at Ipswich, making over 240 appearances before leaving in January 2018 to join MLS side Colorado Rapids. He later joined Sunderland in February 2020 after being released by Colorado.

For the English player, see Tommy Smith (footballer, born 1992).
Tommy Smith
Smith with Ipswich Town in 2009
Personal information
Full name Thomas Jefferson Smith[1]
Date of birth (1990-03-31) 31 March 1990
Place of birth Macclesfield, England
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Playing position(s) Centre back
Youth career
Crewe Alexandra
North Shore United
2006–2007 Ipswich Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2018 Ipswich Town 247 (21)
2008 → Stevenage Borough (loan) 15 (0)
2010 → Brentford (loan) 8 (0)
2011 → Colchester United (loan) 6 (0)
2018–2019 Colorado Rapids 60 (7)
2020 Sunderland 0 (0)
National team‡
2007 England U17 1 (0)
2008 England U18 3 (0)
2012 New Zealand U23 3 (0)
2010– New Zealand 38 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:49, 23 February 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13:57, 22 November 2019

Club career

Ipswich Town

Born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, Smith is a product of the Ipswich Town academy. He won the club's Young Player of the Year award for the 2006–07 season.[3] He signed a three-year professional contract in August 2007.[4] He was on the shortlist for the 2008 Wickes Young Apprentice Trophy, given to the best youth player in the Championship,[5][6] but Mark Beevers won the award.[7]

Stevenage Borough (loan)

In February 2008, Smith joined Stevenage Borough in the Conference National on a one-month emergency loan.[8] He made his debut for the club on 23 February in a 0–0 draw with Grays Athletic.[9] Later the loan was extended until the end of the season.[10] He played 15 games for the club before returning to Ipswich.[11]

Return to Ipswich

Smith's form for Stevenage led to him getting his opportunity in the Ipswich first-team, he made his debut on 9 August 2008, in a 1–2 home loss to Preston North End at Portman Road.

That season, Smith broke his ankle in training, and missed the majority of the season. However, by the time he made his return to first team action, manager Jim Magilton had left the club and been replaced by Roy Keane. Smith featured heavily in Keane's early games as Ipswich manager, with the former Manchester United midfielder opting to give some of the club's younger talent – such as Connor Wickham and Smith – a chance to prove themselves.

However, injury stalled Smith's progress once again, when he suffered another training ground injury – this time to his hand. In his absence Gareth McAuley and Damien Delaney formed a solid defensive partnership ahead of deputizing goalkeeper Arran Lee-Barrett. Smith was unable to force his way back into the first team in the short-term.

Brentford (loan)

On 7 January 2010, Smith joined Brentford on a temporary basis. In doing so, Smith replaced Pim Balkestein at Griffin Park, who had been on loan at the club from Ipswich too. He made his debut on 16 January in a 3–1 win over Carlisle United.[12] Smith played eight games during his brief spell at Brentford, before being recalled by Ipswich on 15 March.[13]

Return to Ipswich

Smith scored his first professional goal for Ipswich away against Middlesbrough in the first game of the 2010–11 Championship season, which Ipswich won 3–1. He made 26 appearances over the course of the season, scoring 3 goals.[14]

Colchester United (loan)

On 17 March 2011, Smith signed for Colchester United on loan for the rest of the 2010–11 season. He made his debut two days later in a 0–1 away loss to Tranmere Rovers. He made 6 appearances during his loan spell before returning to Ipswich.[14]

Return to Ipswich

After an impressive 2011–12 season, in which he scored 3 goals in 28 appearances, Smith signed a two-year contract extension in May 2012.[15]

He scored in his first appearance of the 2012–13 season in a 3–1 home win over Bristol Rovers at Portman Road in a League Cup first round tie, on 14 August. He established himself as a first-team starter over the course of the season, making 41 appearances in all competitions and scoring 4 goals.[16] Smith's performances earned him the Ipswich Town Player of the Year award for the season.[17]

Smith formed a strong defensive partnership with new signing Christophe Berra during the 2013–14 season. He scored his first goal of the season on 10 August, in a 3–0 home win over Millwall. He made 47 appearances during the season, scoring 6 goals, his highest goal return in a season to date.[18]

He continued to feature as a first-team regular during the 2014–15 season as Ipswich finished 6th and qualified for the Championship play-offs. He played 46 games over the course of the season, scoring 5 goals, including scoring against Norwich City in an East Anglian Derby on 16 May 2015.[19]

He scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season on 15 August, netting the winner in a 2–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road. He scored his second goal of the season on 15 September, scoring the winning goal in a 0–1 away win over Leeds United at Elland Road. He made a total of 48 appearances during the season, scoring 2 goals.[20]

Injury hampered Smith's 2016–17 season, on 16 September he was ruled out for 12 weeks due to a back injury.[21] He continued to suffer with injury over the course of the season, making just 11 appearances during the campaign.[22]

He continued to suffer injury problems during the 2017–18 season, he made his first appearance of the season on the opening day 1–0 win over Birmingham City, but only made a further 2 appearances between August and January. On 6 January 2018 it was reported that Smith was close to joining Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids.[23]

Colorado Rapids

On 22 January 2018, Smith signed with Colorado Rapids.[24] He made his debut for the club on 21 February, in a 0–2 loss to Toronto FC in a CONCACAF Champions League tie. He scored his first goal for the club on 14 June 2018 in a 2–2 draw with Chicago Fire. During a match against Minnesota United on 13 October 2018, he partially provoked a brawl after the team scored their second goal. He was red carded as a result.[25] He made 36 appearances during his first season at the club, scoring 4 goals, including late winners over Minnesota United and Dallas.[26]

He scored in the opening game of the 2019 season in a 2–1 loss to Dallas. He went on to make a total of 28 appearances over the course of the season, netting 3 goals.[27]

On 22 November 2019 it was announced by the Rapids that they had declined the contract options for Smith to stay with the club.[28]

Following his release from Colorado, Smith returned to England and began training with former club Ipswich, leading to speculation of a return to his former club. However, manager Paul Lambert ruled out the possibility of Smith returning to the club.[29][30]

Sunderland

On 21 February 2020, Smith joined League One club Sunderland on a contract until the end of the season.[31] Due to early suspension of the 2019–20 season due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus he did not make an appearance for the club. He left Sunderland at the end of the season following the end of his short-term contract.[32]

International career

Born in England, Smith resided in New Zealand during his youth and as a result holds dual nationality. This gave him the opportunity to declare himself eligible for the New Zealand national football team ("All Whites"), though he has also represented England at U-17 and U-18 level. Smith played in the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Korea during September 2007 despite not playing a part in England's qualification for the tournament.[33]

In December 2009, after the New Zealand national football team had qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Smith declared that he wanted to play for New Zealand and made himself available for All Whites selection,[34] having been offered the opportunity by the Kiwi's boss, Ricki Herbert. He made his full international debut on 3 March 2010, starting in a 2–0 friendly defeat to Mexico in Los Angeles, USA on 3 March 2010.[35][36] Smith was named in New Zealand's final 23-man squad to compete at the 2010 FIFA World Cup[37] and made his first World Cup Finals appearance in New Zealand's opening game, a 1–1 draw against Slovakia.[38] He also went on play every minute of New Zealand's World Cup campaign, which achieved a historic three points at the tournament.

Smith became the youngest captain in All Whites history after leading the team in a 2–2 draw versus El Salvador on 23 May 2012.[39] On 2 June 2012, Smith scored his first goal for his country in 1–0 win versus Fiji in a 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier.[40] He represented New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Olympics, playing in all 3 of New Zealand's games.[41] In May 2016, coach Anthony Hudson suggested Smith would not be called up for the national team in the future, citing a perceived lack of commitment.[42]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 6 October 2019
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ipswich Town 2007–08[9] Championship 000000― ― 00
2008–09[43] Championship 200000― ― 20
2009–10[12] Championship 1400010― ― 150
2010–11[14] Championship 2230040― ― 263
2011–12[44] Championship 2631010― ― 283
2012–13[16] Championship 3831021― ― 414
2013–14[18] Championship 4561010― ― 476
2014–15[19] Championship 4242000― 2[lower-alpha 3]1465
2015–16[20] Championship 4521020― ― 482
2016–17[22] Championship 1000010― ― 110
2017–18[26] Championship 300000― ― 30
Total 2472160121― 2126723
Stevenage Borough (loan) 2007–08[9] Conference Premier 150― ― ― ― 150
Brentford (loan) 2009–10[12] League One 80― ― ― ― 80
Colchester United (loan) 2010–11[14] League One 60― ― ― ― 60
Colorado Rapids 2018[2] MLS 33410― 2[lower-alpha 4]0― 364
2019[2] MLS 27310― ― ― 283
Total 60720― 20― 647
Sunderland 2019–20[45] League One 0 0 ― ― ― ― 0 0
Career total 3362880121202136030
  1. Includes the FA Cup and U.S. Open Cup
  2. All appearances in the EFL Cup
  3. Appearances in the Championship play-offs
  4. Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League

International
As of match played 18 November 2019[46]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
New Zealand 201070
201110
2012131
201361
201420
201500
201600
201770
201800
201920
Total382

International goals
As of match played 22 March 2013. New Zealand score listed first, "score" column indicates score after each Smith goal.
International goals by date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 June 2012Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Soloman Islands Fiji1–01–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 22 March 2013Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand New Caledonia2–12–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Individual

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See also

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 1 January 2010 and 31 January 2010" (PDF). The Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  2. Tommy Smith at Soccerway. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  3. "Legwinski Players' Player". TWTD. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  4. Tommy signs up, Ipswich Town F.C..
  5. WalesOnline (24 January 2008). "Acheampong is short-listed for top award". walesonline. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  6. Tommy up for Award, Ipswich Town F.C..
  7. Sheffield Wednesday's Mark Beevers nets Wickes Young Apprentice of the Year Award, The Football League.
  8. Tommy to join Stevenage, Ipswich Town F.C..
  9. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  10. Tommy Loan Extended, Ipswich Town F.C..
  11. BOROUGH RELEASE 5, Stevenage F.C..
  12. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  13. "Tommy back with Town". Ispwich Town F.C. official website. 15 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  14. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  15. "All White Smith to stay at Ipswich". The New Zealand Herald. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  16. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  17. "Tommy Smith the Ipswich fans' player of year". stuff.co.nz. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  18. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  19. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  20. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  21. "Smith Facing 12 Weeks Out". TWTD. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  22. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  23. "Smith Close to Colorado Switch". TWTD. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  24. "Colorado Rapids acquire defender Tommy Smith from Ipswich Town | Colorado Rapids".
  25. "Testy afternoon in Minnesota leads to rare road win for Colorado". Pro Soccer USA. 13 October 2018.
  26. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  27. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  28. "Colorado Rapids announce roster moves ahead of the 2020 season". Colorado Rapids. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  29. https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/tommy-smith-back-training-with-ipswich-town-1-6412137
  30. https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/paul-lambert-on-tommy-smith-and-toto-nsiala-1-6459818
  31. "Smith signs up". Sunderland Association Football Club. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  32. "Tommy Smith departs Sunderland after only three months". Chronicle Live. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  33. Tommy in England Squad, Ipswich Town F.C..
  34. Rattue, Chris (23 December 2009). "Soccer: Smith's switch major boost for All Whites". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  35. "All Whites team for Cup warm-up named". Stuff.co.nz. NZPA. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  36. "New Zealand 0 – 2 Mexico".
  37. "All Whites World Cup squad named". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  38. "New Zealand 1–1 Slovakia". BBC Sport. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  39. "All Whites battle to draw with El Salvador". Stuff.co.nz. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  40. "All Whites kick off World Cup campaign with a win". The New Zealand Herald. 2 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  41. "Tommy Smith Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  42. "Tommy Smith won't be selected for All Whites going forward – Hudson". Stuff.co.nz. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  43. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  44. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  45. "Games played by Tommy Smith in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  46. "Tommy Smith". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
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