Marinette Pichon, the dynamic French striker who took the WUSA by storm in her first season, was named the league's Most Valuable Player on Thursday.
Pichon scored 14 goals and assisted on another to lead the Philadelphia Charge to second place in the regular-season standings and a berth in the WUSA semifinals. Her torrid scoring pace after playmaker Kelly Smith sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament on June 1, enabled the fast-starting Charge to reel off 10 games without a loss.
Philly led the WUSA nearly the entire campaign, often by a significant margin, before fading in the final weeks. It was beaten by Washington, 1-0, in the semifinals last weekend.
''This is a great honor,'' Pichon said in a statement, ''because the WUSA players are the best in the world. It's very special to be compared to them.''
Voting was done by WUSA coaches, players and general managers and by the media.
Pichon, who also was selected the league's Offensive Player of the Year, finished tied for fourth in the WUSA scoring race with 29 points. The 5-foot-3 striker is in Lens, where France's national team meets Denmark on Friday in a qualifier for next year's Women's World Cup.
Carolina's Hege Riise and Birgit Prinz were the other finalists for the MVP award. New York's Tiffeny Milbrett won it last season.
WUSA AWARDS 2002
MVP: Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia)
Rookie of the Year: Abby Wambach (Washington)
Coach of the Year: Mark Krikorian (Philadelphia)
Offensive Player of the Year: Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia)
Defensive Player of the Year: Danielle Slaton (Carolina)
Goalkeeper of the Year: Kristen Luckenbill (Carolina)
Goal of the Year: Katia (San Jose)
Executive of the Year: Joe Cummings (Boston)
Humanitarian of the Year: Sissi (San Jose)
Team Community Service Award: Boston Breakers
Team Fair Play Award: Boston Breakers
Referee of the Year: Kari Seitz (San Mateo, Calif.)
All-WUSA Teams
First Team
G — Kristen Luckenbill (Carolina)
D — Erica Iverson (Philadelphia)
D — Danielle Slaton (Carolina)
D — Jennifer Tietjen (Philadelphia)
M — Kristine Lilly (Boston)
M — Hege Riise (Carolina)
M — Homare Sawa (Atlanta)
M — Sissi (San Jose)
F — Katia (San Jose)
F — Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia)
F — Birgit Prinz (Carolina)
Second Team
G — Briana Scurry (Atlanta)
D — Jenny Benson (Philadelphia)
D — Brandi Chastain (San Jose)
D — Jennifer Grubb (Washington)
M — Julie Foudy (San Diego)
M — Mia Hamm (Washington)
M — Maren Meinert (Boston)
M — Zhao Lihong (Philadelphia)
F — Danielle Fotopoulos (Carolina)
F — Tiffeny Milbrett (New York)
F — Abby Wambach (Washington)