WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : WORLD CUP ’94 / DAILY REPORT

The English are in a quandary over the World Cup. The nation that likes to think it invented soccer failed to qualify for the finals, a humiliation that still rankles.

So, the English are rooting for the Republic of Ireland, which has an English coach, Jack Charlton, and whose players almost all play for British club teams.

The British Press has made much of the fact that a minority of Americans know what the World Cup is all about.

Ken Jones, in Thursday’s edition of the Independent, quoted an American sportswriter friend: “Let’s face it, the only reason that the World Cup is being held in the United States is because the organizers see $$$$$$. After seeing the Olympics make money in Los Angeles they figured they were on to a winner.”

The Independent’s summary: “The only sensible conclusion is that the United States doesn’t need football any more than football needs the United States.”