National striker Brown back in the USL

National striker Brian Brown will make his return to the United States and the United Soccer League (USL) championship.

The 28-year-old Brown has signed with debutant club New Mexico United for the upcoming 2021 season after completing a stint with Albanian club FK Parizani. The announcement was made on Monday on the team's website.

The former Harbour View player will be reuniting with coach Troy Lesesne, who he played for during his time with the Charlotte Independence in 2016. Lesesne, who is now New Mexico United's head coach and technical director, says that he is excited that he will have another chance to coach Brown and sees his attacking and creative gifts as assets that will boost their attack in their debut season.

"I had the pleasure of working with Brian in 2016 and have been waiting for the opportunity to reunite with him ever since," Lesene said. "Not only is he a lethal goalscorer, but he loves putting his teammates in goalscoring positions. I'm incredibly excited about the versatility we will have in our attack for this season."

New Mexico United will be preparing for their third season in the league, having launched in 2018. Last season, despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing them to play all their games on the road, they qualified for the play-offs and advanced to the semi-finals

Brown has spent the majority of his professional career in the United States, starting in 2014 when he was signed by Major League Soccer franchise the Philadelphia Union. Since then, he has plied his trade in the USL championship with Indy Eleven, Charlotte Independence and Reno 1868 FC, his last stop before leaving for Europe midseason in 2019. He made a total of 39 appearances and scored six goals during his time in Albania.

Brown departed Reno 1868 as the club's all-time leading goalscorer during his two-year stay, scoring 28 goals in 70 appearances. He has scored a total of 37 goals and registered 20 assists during his USL career. His last international appearance was in September 2019, where he scored his first senior goal in the win against Antigua and Barbuda in the Concacaf National League.