By Hunter Tickel | The News Record
Roughly 8,400 miles away from the University of Cincinnati, former Bearcat Tim Brown received the news that he had been selected to New Zealand’s 2010 World Cup team.
“We had a domestic camp here in New Zealand and then I went to a big press conference and they named the team,” Brown said.
Brown was a Bearcat from 2000-03. He made 71 appearances and was a three-year starter. He earned a wealth of awards: academic All-American honors, All-Ohio, All-Conference USA and All-Region.
Brown credits his college soccer career at UC for molding him into the player he is today. The school provided him with a scholarship that paved the way for him to become a professional athlete on the world’s biggest stage.
“I don’t think I could have gotten here without playing at Cincinnati,” Brown said. “The way that we moved up as a soccer power in Cincinnati inspired me to take my game as far as I could.”
Brown will serve as vice captain of the national team, nicknamed the All Whites, a role he has served since 2007 and is still surreal to him.
“It’s a massive honor and something I try not to take for granted,” Brown said. “It’s something that I don’t think I ever thought would happen.”
New Zealand is an infant on the world stage, having failed to qualify for the World Cup in 28 years since the nation’s lone appearance. Brown will have plenty of butterflies as he steps on the field for his first tournament game of the world’s most-watched sport.
“I imagine there will be lots of nerves,” Brown said. “With privilege comes an awful lot of responsibility. It’s been [a while] since we last qualified for a World Cup and it’s a really important time for [soccer in] New Zealand.”
Brown has made 27 international appearances for New Zealand since his debut in 2004, but has yet to find the back of the net for his country.
“[Scoring at the World Cup] would be tremendous,” Brown said. “I think I’d lose it.”
Brown remains in touch with his former Bearcat teammates despite living on the other side of the planet and plans to attend former teammate Tom Weable’s wedding in the United States next year. Weable, along with three other former teammates, will travel to Brown’s matches at the World Cup in South Africa this summer.
Weable remembers one of Brown’s shining individual moments at UC. The Bearcats had a
kick-off after cross-town rival Xavier had scored and Brown noticed the Xavier goalkeeper was off his line after celebrating.
“He drove the ball 70 yards into the upper corner of the goal,” Weable said. “It was by far the best goal I have ever seen.”
Brown has played professionally in Australia’s A-League with the Wellington Phoenix since 2007, but says he misses the camaraderie he had with coaches and teammates at Cincinnati. Making the NCAA tournament in 2003 — his final season — was the highlight of his career as a Bearcat.
Brown and the All Whites will kick off their first of three opening-round games against Slovakia Tuesday, June 15, and can be seen on ESPN at 7 a.m.
Brown said within the squad there is a belief that New Zealand can advance past the group stage.
“I think it would be massive. We would shock the world,” Brown said. “There is a quiet confidence we can pull it off.”
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