Courtesy of USL News:

TAMPA, FL – (Monday, November 16, 2009) - Former Richmond Kicker Tim Brown earned a trip to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa with New Zealand, downing Bahrain in the second leg of the their qualifying series 1-0 after a scoreless draw in the first leg on the road.

Moments before the break, Rory Fallon broke the scoreless stalemate between New Zealand and Bahrain with a header off a corner kick. Goalkeeper Mark Paston made a critical play five minutes into the second stanza, denying a penalty kick by Sayed Mohamed Adnan.

Brown started and played nearly the entire contest, coming off for substitution in stoppage time as the All Whites qualified for the World Cup for just the second time, having last reached the tournament in 1982.

The playoff series featured New Zealand as the Oceania winners facing the Asian confederation’s fifth-place finisher Bahrain.

Three years ago, Brown was donning a Richmond Kickers shirt in the USL Second Division after having played two seasons with the club in the USL First Division, reaching the 2005 championship game. Brown helped the club finish as runners-up, falling in penalty kicks after an exciting 1-1 draw in Seattle. He began his professional career with the Kickers midseason in 2004 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati, but injury prevented him seeing much time until the postseason. The 2005 campaign, however, was Brown’s breakout season, playing in 23 league matches with a goal and two assists while leading them to their postseason run to the Final.