WORLD CUP USA ‘94: SEMIFINALS : Spotlight : A GAME OF INCHES

In a sport in which being built close to the ground has always been preferable, the issue of height is getting much discussion in the World Cup.

In Mexico, among the criticisms facing Coach Migel Mejia Baron is that, when he got down to penalty kicks against Bulgaria in his round-of-16 loss last week, his goalkeeper, Jorge Campos, was a tad short. The critics are saying Felix Fernandez would have been a better choice.

Campos is 5-feet-9, Fernandez 5-11.

German Coach Berti Vogts pointed to a height mismatch as a major mistake on Bulgaria’s winning goal by 5-10 Yordan Letchkov. Letchkov headed the ball into the goal while being guarded by Germany’s Thomas Haessler, who is 5-5.

And then there was 6-4 Kennet Andersson of Sweden, easily leaping over 5-10 Florin Prunea, Romania’s goalie, to head in the tying goal and allow Sweden to get into penalty kicks and win Sunday.

Roland Nilsson, who passed to Andersson, was quoted in Tuesday’s New York Times as saying, “I think Prunea thought he had that ball easily, and then all of a sudden, he had this 6-4 guy jumping right over him.”