BY SCOTT FRENCH
Senior Editor

FC Energy Voronezh has acquired its third American player this year with Emily Burt's arrival on trial, but defender Jenny Benson — a critical component in the Russian champions' success this season — has returned home to California.

Burt, a former Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Charge forward who led the California Storm to the Women's Premier Soccer League title last weekend, will depart Thursday for Russia. She is expected to see action when FC Energy returns to Supreme League play on Aug. 12 against CSK WWS.

Benson, a U.S. national team pool player who starred three seasons with the Charge, returned to Huntington Beach last week and decided in the past few days she would not return to Russia for the remainder of the season.

''It's what's best for me and my family,'' said Benson, who starred at the University of Nebraska. ''We had a long discussion. It's best I stay here.

''I spent five months [in Russia], and I will never regret it. It was the best experience ever. I really enjoyed it. It was a completely different style of soccer than In was used to, and I learned a lot. It's just best for me that I stay here.''

Benson, 26, played in 14 games for Energy — 10 in the Russian League, one in the Russian Cup and three last month in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Women's Cup — and scored five goals, including a hat trick on penalty kicks in the UEFA opener against KFF Sciponjat of Macedonia.

''That was pretty unbelievable,'' she said of the three spot kicks. ''I'd never taken a penalty, and they called my name all three times. I buried all of them, so that was good.''

Benson played as a marking back on Energy's three-woman backline and as a wide midfielder. She learned enough Russian ''to get by,'' but struggled to communicate with teammates and was fluent only when accompanied by a translator the club assigned to her. She learned the Cyrillic alphabet but said the language proved far more difficult than she'd imagined it would.

''I think I learned a lot about myself as a player and a person,'' Benson said. ''You learn a lot more about the game when you can't communicate as well with your teammates. You learn to see the game that much better, and you have to overcompensate for not being able to talk to your teammates. You have to be one step ahead. You have to read and see the game much better.''

Energy is 6-1-3 in the Russian Supreme League with a four-point lead on Lada and Rossiyanka. Benson said there were several players on the team — including Ukrainian star Natalia Zinchenko and Russian phenom Elena Danilova — who were good enough to play in the WUSA.

Benson said loneliness and homesickness influenced her decision to come home, but that some family issues — including her father's healthy — were more prominent.

''He'd doing better now, but what if, you know?'' she said. ''I've been there five months, I did it, I'm so glad I did it, and I'm just glad to be home. And I think if I would have went back, my heart would not be into it, and I'm not one to play like that.''

Benson said she will look for a job — she'd like to pursue sports marketing — and train with other players in Southern California. Before heading to Russia, she was playing with an informal group of players, several of them former WUSA players, under the auspices of the San Juan Capistrano-based Southern California Blues, one of the nation's top girls club teams. She hopes to play with that group again, but is leaving her options open for a relaunch of the WUSA, opportunities with the national team, and a possible return to another European league.

BURT, 29, CONTACTED former Charge coach Mark Krikorian to see if he could connect her with an overseas club. Krikorian, now the U.S. under-19 women's coach, has helped place more than a half-dozen Charge players in foreign leagues.

''He said he'd spoken to a lot of coaches, that Jenny was in Russia, and that he would email the general manager [at Energy],'' Burt said Wednesday, while spending her last night in America at the San Francisco Giants-Cincinnati Reds game at SBC Park in San Francisco. ''Literally within three hours she had written me back and invited me to come out for a tryout.

''I think it's a great opportunity, and I'm excited to be invited there and see what soccer is like in a different country. It should be interesting.''

Burt, a former Stanford University star, scored four goals in 48 WUSA matches. She netted the overtime winner in the Storm's WPSL semifinal victory Saturday over the Denver Diamonds and the first two goals in the Storm's 3-2 triumph over the New England Mutiny in Sunday's championship game.

''I really miss playing in the WUSA,'' she said. ''A chance to continue to play is exciting, but just as important to me is the cultural and soccer opportunities it's going to give me. That's kind of what drew me to the opportunity — [living in Russia] sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A unique experience.''

Burt follows Benson and former University of Nebraska standout Danica Carey to Energy. Carey also went to Voronezh on trial, but the club elected not to sign her and she returned to San Diego WFC of the WPSL.

Energy has been on break from the Russian League for nearly a month after matches scheduled for late July were postponed. After the game against CSK WWS, Energy meets Lada on Aug. 15, then heads to the playoff round of the Supreme League schedule.

As long as Burt's trial is successful, she will remain in Russia through early November and play next month in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Women's Cup.

THE ICELANDIC season is over for Alison Jarrow and Sarah Lentz, who returned home to South Carolina during the Landsbankadeild Kvenna's Nordic Cup break and will not return to Stjarnan.

Lentz's departure was expected — the senior defender will report shortly for preseason training with the University of South Carolina — but former Gamecock Jarrow decided she'd spent enough time overseas. Playing for a poor club (Stjarnan is 1-4-4) and a bout of homesickness took their toll on Jarrow, South Carolina coach Shelley Smith said.

Lentz and Jarrow were starters for Stjarnan, and both played in 11 games — nine league matches, two VISA-Bikar Cup games — during their time in Iceland. Jarrow scored two goals June 11 in a 4-1 victory at IA in the second round of cup play, and Lentz netted the winner July 10 in the 3-2 quarterfinal win over Fjolnir.

Second-place IBV (6-1-2) — with former Charge defenders Rachel Kruze and Mary McVeigh — returns to Icelandic League action Friday against third-place KR (6-1-2).

FORMER ATLANTA BEAT defender Kylie Bivens, who played for the United States at last year's Women's World Cup and was in the national team's Olympic Residency in Southern California this year, turned down an invitation to join Swedish League cellar-dweller Stattena (0-10-4).

Americans Hope Solo (Kopparbergs/Goteborg), Denise Reddy (Malmo FF) and Venus James (Djurgarden/Alvsjo) play in the Swedish League, which resumes its season on Sept. 4.

Sept. 4 also is when the German Frauen-Bundesliga begins its 2004-05 season.

THE FINNISH AND NORWEGIAN LEAGUES resume play this weekend following brief breaks. FC Honka (3-4-4), with former Duquesne University defender Becky Barritt, returns to Finnish action Saturday against SCR (6-4-1).

In Norway, Asker (5-1-4) — with former Charge forward Darci Borski — is off until Aug. 14, when it meets Arna-Bjornar (2-8-0) in a preview of an Aug. 28 Norwegian Cup quarterfinal.

Swedish coach Pia Sundhage has resigned as coach at fifth-place Kolbotn (5-4-1), which lost its final four Norwegian Toppserien games before the break. Sundhage was the Boston Breakers' head coach last year following two seasons as current U.S. U-19 coach Mark Krikorian's assistant with the Charge.

FINLAND
* Becky Barritt (FC Honka, D1), vs. SCR, Saturday.
Season league stats: 8 games, 1 goal.

ICELAND
* Rachel Kruze (IBV, D1), vs. KR, Friday.
Season league stats: 2 games, 1 goal.

* Mary McVeigh (IBV, D1), vs. KR, Friday
Season league stats: 7 games, 0 goals.