Wednesday, September 17, 2003

 

TAMPA, FL - United Soccer Leagues announced Pittsburgh Riverhounds forward Thiago Martins was selected as the 2003 A-League Most Valuable Players by the clubs' coaches and general managers.

Martins ran away with the Scoring and Goal Scoring Championships this season with 22 goals and seven assists for 51 points. He finished the season 13 points clear of Rochester's Doug Miller and four goals ahead of Virginia Beach's Dante Washington in the two respective tables. Martins played in 25 games (2,169 minutes) for the 'Hounds and finished tied for seventh on the league assist table.

The Brazilian striker is the first player to top 50 points on a season since 1998 when Mark Baena of Seattle also had 51 points and led the league in scoring.

Martins is the first player to win the A-League Scoring Championship from a team that did not reach the postseason since 1990 when Chance Fry posted 39 points for the 10-10 Seattle Storm. Current Portland Timbers player Scott Benedetti is the only other player to accomplish the feat, recording 16 points for the 1-11 FC Portland in 1988.

Similarly, Martins is only the second player in league history to win the Most Valuable Player honor while playing for a club that did not make the postseason. Brent Goulet was honored by the Western Soccer League in 1997 while playing for FC Portland, who finished fifth with a 5-5 record in the six-team league that saw the San Diego Nomads finish with a league-best 6-4 record.

The A-League Championship, featuring the Minnesota Thunder and the Charleston Battery, is Saturday, September 20 at Charleston's Blackbaud Stadium at 7:00 pm ET. The Game will be broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports World.