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With T2 opening their season on Sunday against Real Monarchs, we will be profiling the 14 players officially signed to the T2 roster.
We continue with midfielder Tim Payne.
Number: 40
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-11
Weight: 176
Born: Jan. 10, 1994
Hometown: Papakura, New Zealand
Last Club: Auckland City FC (ASB Premiership)
Tim Payne, 21, joins T2 after spending 2014 with Auckland City FC of the ASB Premiership, the top flight in New Zealand.
Payne, a New Zealand international withexperience at the U17, U20, and senior national team levels, where he has made 14 appearances, scoring 2 goals, and appeared in the 2012 London Olympics and qualifying matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. As a member of the U17s in 2011, he scored 4 goals in 9 appearances, which included appearances in the 2011 U17 World Cup, as well as the 2011 U20 World Cup, which led to him earning a trial with then-English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers.
Payne is coming in off an impressive 2014 campaign with Auckland FC, where he made 18 appearances, scoring 2 goals, as his club reached the semifinals of the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, the highest finish for a club from Oceania, winning both the Regular Season and Grand Finale for 2013-2014.
Joining Blackburn Rovers in January 2012, work permit issues and an ankle injury prevented him from appearing for the first team, though he did make 10 appearances for the U21/Reserves squad, though stats from this time could not be found. He was released from his contract in May 2014.
Prior to joining Blackburn, Payne appeared for Waitakere United of the ASB Premiership from 2010-2011, making 7 appearances and had an earlier stint with Auckland City FC, where he made 1 appearance.
Payne has previously trialed with Toronto FC following his release from Backburn, having a brief overlap as teammates with then-TFC head coach Ryan Nelson as a player at both the club and international levels, where he lso played with presumed T2 starting goalkeeper Jake Gleeson.
Payne is primarily an attacking midfielder who is also capable of being slotted up top as a striker and has also appeared as a defensive midfielder with New Zealand.
Another prototypical T2 player, at just 21 he has plenty of room to grow as a potential first team signing, and already brings a wealth of experience from his time with Blackburn and internationally.
While no highlight videos could be located, Payne did give a couple of interviews to ACFC TV below, as well as several interviews to FIFA and other media outlets.