Selection of U.S. Host Cities for World Cup Soccer Delayed

The names of the dozen U.S. cities that will play host to the 1994 World Cup soccer tournament will be released in February at the earliest, instead of this month, according to officials of the World Cup USA 1994.

The delay has been caused by longer-than-expected contractual negotiations with the possible venues, including talks with major league baseball over the availability of stadiums in San Francisco, Miami, Denver and Philadelphia, and the possible construction of a stadium in Washington, D.C.

In Los Angeles, the remodeling of the Memorial Coliseum could make that facility unavailable, should construction run into 1994. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, one of the favorites to be a site of the championship final, also will need extensive remodeling.

In October, the list of possible cities was trimmed from the original 26 applicants to 19 when Charlotte, N.C.; Honolulu; Houston; Knoxville, Tenn.; New York; Phoenix and Corvallis, Ore., were placed on a “non-priority” list.

“We’ve tried to be as fair as we know how to everybody concerned,” said Alan I. Rothenberg, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation and chairman of World Cup USA 1994 Organizing Committee. “The last thing in the world we want to do is have cities that understandably are disappointed, feel like they were treated unfairly or walk away from this process with any sense of bitterness. We hope that doesn’t exist.”