No. 1 Threat: Pinchon

by Senior Editor Scott French

Those surprised by Marinette PichonÆs dynamic, often dominating displays this season in the WUSA hadnÆt seen her play. Those who had werenÆt surprised at all.

The petite French striker has run circles around opposing defenses while spearheading the leagueÆs best attack for the leagueÆs best side. Through a professional career just 15 games old, sheÆs already the Philadelphia ChargeÆs all-time scoring leader and is a prime contender for the WUSAÆs scoring title and its MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards.

SheÆs been the flashpoint for a Charge side that might have withered when playmaker Kelly Smith, through whom its multipronged attack flowed, went down June 1 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Instead, the team has prospered, thanks to superb defending all over the field and a magnetic offensive game geared to get the most from Pichon.

ôSheÆs very quick and has a nose for the goal,ö says Charge head coach Mark Krikorian. ôSheÆs capable of scoring many different ways: on a breakaway, she can smack the ball out of the air, finish with her head ù she has a lot of qualities.ö

ThatÆs not news to him, nor to the other WUSA coaches who scouted last yearÆs European Championship. Pichon, 26, was the standout of a France team that failed to proceed from a tough first-round group after losses to Norway and Denmark. She scored a goal against the Danes and another in a 2-0 triumph over Italy in a group finale.

ôI liked the style the French team played,ö Krikorian says. ôI honestly thought they played a similar style of soccer to what we want to do here. They were very possessive, attacked on the outside with some very nice flank play, had a dynamic way of attacking, with a lot of movement off the ball.ö

Pichon has been the centerpiece of FranceÆs fluid attack since the mid-Æ90s, soon after making her international debut at 18. SheÆs scored 38 goals in 57 appearances with the Bleues and will play a pivotal role as France battles England, Denmark and Iceland for EuropeÆs final berth in next yearÆs WomenÆs World Cup.

TACTICAL RUNS

SheÆd been on WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCiccoÆs radar since France played four friendlies in the United States in 1996 and 1997.

ôI knew she was a very good forward,ö says DiCicco, the former U.S. womenÆs national team coach. ôI just didnÆt know sheÆd have the impact in this league as quickly as she has.ö

DiCicco likes ôhow tactical her runs are ù the timing of her runs, how she slides in behind defenses.ö

ôShe does a lot of work, clears a lot of space for other players,ö he says, ôbut whatÆs been so impressive is her opportunities-to-goal ratio. She doesnÆt waste a lot of opportunities.ö

Pichon hadnÆt given the WUSA a thought before she was contacted last December and asked if sheÆd like to come to Philadelphia.

ôAt first,ö she says, ôI was not sure I would want to come here. I asked my friends, my family what they thought. They said I should go because it was a good opportunity.

ôI just needed time to think.ö

She signed a one-year pact (with two options) worth about $50,000 ù a bargain, it seems.

In France she was a part-timer, arranging her work schedule with her Saint-MemmieÆs recreation department around her clubÆs training and matches.

ôNo one cares about womenÆs soccer [in France],ö she says. ôMostly only the players and coaches. Men get paid a lot to play, and women just play for the fun of the game.ö

PichonÆs been playing since she was 5, competing with boys because no girls league existed in Saint-Memmie, about two hours north of Paris.

ôThe boys would mock me a lot, thinking I wasnÆt good enough,ö she says. ôThey would pick me last. But when I started scoring on them, they began to pick me much sooner and respect me much more.ö

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION

She went on to play for her hometown OL Saint-Memmie and scored more than 150 goals, leading the French League in scoring four times. She netted 22 goals in just 12 games last season before departing for the WUSA.

Frequent trips to France for World Cup qualifiers played havoc with PichonÆs acclimation at the start of the season, but once her international schedule cleared ù just as Smith was hurt ù she exploded against opposing defenses, scoring nine goals in her next six games. Included were two-goal performances in a pair of 3-1 victories in showdowns at second-place Carolina and a 14-minute hat trick in a 3-1 win at New York. Through an eight-game stretch from late May to early July, she scored 11 of PhillyÆs 15 goals.

ôI knew I could play here,ö Pichon says. ôAt the beginning, it was hard with all the traveling. But once I got going here and was practicing every day with the team, I began to feel good.ö

She prospered in a 4-5-1 alignment that Krikorian employed after SmithÆs injury, a system designed to take advantage of PhillyÆs midfield depth, although defensive tactics designed to impede her and a toe injury in late July have slowed her down somewhat.

Scheduling conflicts could force her out of the Founders Cup final on Aug. 24, should the Charge advance. FranceÆs World Cup qualifier against Denmark is slated for the previous evening in Lens. The WUSA is trying to persuade French officials to move their game to Aug. 22.

ôThat is going to be a tough decision for everybody,ö says Pichon. ôWe are trying to work something out. … I just hope for the best.ö

by Soccer AmericaSenior Editor Scott French