Chinese star retires from WUSA

ATLANTA - Chinese soccer star Sun Wen announced her retirement from the WUSA&#39;s Atlanta Beat on Thursday so she can concentrate on playing for her national team heading into the World Cup. <br> <br> Wen, who shared FIFA&#39;s player of the century award in 2000, scored seven goals and had three assists during two injury-plagued seasons with the Beat. <br> <br> ``Unfortunately we only saw glimpses of her greatness, as she fought knee pain throughout her time with the Beat,&#39;&#39; coach Tom Stone said. <br> <br> Sun will remain with the Chinese national team as it prepares for the World Cup, which is being held in her home country this fall. <br> <br> ``When the 2003 World Cup became a reality for her, it was decided mutually that she concentrate on getting healthy and playing for her national team in China 2003,&#39;&#39; Stone said. <br> <br> Sun was the first pick in the inaugural WUSA draft, but she underwent knee surgery before joining the Beat. Sun spent most of the first half of the 2001 recovering and started only five of the 13 games she played. <br> <br> After managing one goal during the regular season, Sun scored twice in the playoffs, helping the Beat reach the title game. <br> <br> Sun played in 18 games last season, making 10 starts. She scored four goals as the Beat earned another playoff berth, but they were eliminated in the semifinals. <br> <br> ``It was truly a pleasure and an honor to have Sun Wen on our team,&#39;&#39; Stone said. ``Aside from the incredible talent she possesses, her grace and humility is what I will remember most about Sunny. She is special to the entire Atlanta Beat organization and its fans and we will miss her.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> With the retirement of Sun, Atlanta announced the signing of Conny Pohlers, a 24-year-old striker who has led the German Bundesliga in goals the last two seasons. <br> <br> Stone expects Pohlers to improve Atlanta&#39;s speed on the front line. <br> <br> ``We are very fast in the back but we&#39;ve had trouble stretching defenses the last two years,&#39;&#39; Stone said. ``One of our biggest off-season priorities was to acquire a fast forward who can score, so we are very excited to have filled that need with Pohlers.&#39;&#39;

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