(July 01, 2002)

New Breed Of Internationals Lighting Up The Scoreboard
Shift in Philosophy Has International Newcomers Making an Impact on Offense

ATLANTA GA (July 1, 2002) Heading into the 2002 season, WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco realized it was time for a new philosophy regarding the recruitment of international players. With WUSA coaches now taking on a greater role, a new breed of international attacking players is making a major impact during the league's second season.

Carolina's German superstar Birgit Prinz, Philadelphia's French international Marinette Pichon and San Diego's Chinese standout Zhang Ouying are just three of the newcomers who are making their presence felt in the WUSA. Pichon leads the WUSA with nine goals, Ouying is the Spirit's top scorer and Prinz has dominated opposing defenses since her June 1 debut, scoring six goals and adding four assists in just seven games.

DiCicco credits the league's eight coaches with identifying the WUSA's new crop of international stars. Prior to the league's first season, DiCicco and WUSA Vice President of Player Personnel Lauren Gregg recruited the league's international players. Not every WUSA team had a head coach during the early stages of the league's formation and DiCicco and Gregg relied on their years of managing the U.S. women's national team and numerous overseas contacts to sign many of the world's best players. Following the league's inaugural season in 2001, the natural progression of having coaches recruit all of their players occurred.

"The coaches did a wonderful job of watching talent during the off season," DiCicco said. "We felt it made more sense to have coaches fill their needs and they had great success."

"As coaches looked to improve their teams, they identified attacking players that can win games," Gregg said. "We have certainly seen our international players have that kind of impact for their teams."

With the league up and running and a season under its belt, the emphasis shifted from established performers to players that fill attacking roles. The 2001 season featured 21 attacking players (forwards and midfielders) and 10 defensive (defenders and goalkeepers) internationals. In 2002, only three defensive players remain and there are 27 internationals that play up front or in the midfield.

"The focus has been on frontrunners this year and it has paid off for most teams," DiCicco added. "It usually takes awhile for these athletes to adapt to a new league and a different culture, but players like Birgit Prinz jumped into the league right away. I didn't think she would have that kind of impact right away."

Prinz and Pichon have been on fire during June. Prinz tallied six goals and four assists in six matches and Pichon scored six goals in five games.

"Pichon's a very creative player that runs well off the ball," Atlanta Head Coach Tom Stone said after the French star scored two goals in a 3-1 win over the Beat on June 29. "I would say that she and Dagny (Mellgren) are the two best at running off the ball. She's definitely someone you need to keep an eye on and even given a half chance she's dangerous."

DiCicco echoes Stone's comments on Pichon. Although he had seen her compete against the U.S. in international competition, DiCicco felt Philadelphia Head Coach Mark Krikorian took a risk with the selection of Pichon since she had never been evaluated in a World Cup or an Olympic tournament as France had failed to qualify.

"We thought it was a risk when Mark came to us and said he wanted to sign Pichon," DiCicco said. "We knew she was dangerous, but we certainly didn't know she would turn out to lead the league in goals, especially with Kelly Smith sidelined."

Although the emphasis of the WUSA is on developing new talent such as Abby Wambach, Danielle Slaton and Jena Kluegel, DiCicco acknowledges that there are additional international markets -- Italy and Russia are just two examples -- that are producing exciting players. In addition, he believes Boston's Ragnhild Gulbrandsen has the potential to become a star in the WUSA. The 25-year-old forward is best known for scoring against the United States when Norway defeated the Americans 3-2 in the gold medal game at the Sydney Olympics. After missing the Breakers' first 12 games with an injured foot, Gulbrandsen made her WUSA debut on June 29 in a 1-1 draw against San Jose.

"She's a force to be reckoned with," said DiCicco when asked about Gulbrandsen. "She'll be exciting to watch once she is 100 percent."

Breakdown of WUSA International Players

Forward: 12
Midfielder: 15
Defender: 2
Goalkeeper: 1

[Source: Dan Courtemanche, (404) 269-8269, www.WUSA.com, Paul Dodson, (404) 269-8017, WUSA Communications]