U.S. Soccer Team Loses Top Coaching Candidate
Carlos Alberto Parreira, who guided Brazil to its record fourth World Cup triumph last year, Saturday signed a one-year contract to coach Istanbul’s Fenerbahce, ending the U.S. soccer team’s hopes of landing him.
The U.S. Soccer Federation hoped to hire Parreira, fired by Spanish club Valencia two weeks ago, as replacement for Bora Milutinovic, who coached the team through the 1994 World Cup but was fired April 14.
“We knew he was going over there,” USSF Executive Director Hank Steinbrecher said. “We have another conversation planned [today]. I have nothing further to add until I talk with him.”
Steve Sampson, Milutinovic’s assistant and currently interim coach, has added goaltender Kasey Keller to the U.S. team after three years of exile under Milutinovic. Keller will play against Mexico today in Washington.
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Second-half substitute Jhon Gomez blasted a 26-meter free kick off the face of Uche Okafor in the 80th minute to give Colombia a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the U.S. Cup ’95 at Piscataway, N.J.
Tennis
Americans Lori McNeil and Zina Garrison-Jackson beat the rain to set up an encore of their 1994 final with victories in the $161,250 DFS Classic grass-court tournament at Birmingham, England. Top-seeded McNeil beat South African Elna Reinach, 6-4, 6-4, to continue her bid for a third consecutive DFS title. Third-seeded Garrison-Jackson defeated unseeded Belgian Els Callens, 6-2, 6-1.
Persistent rain washed out semifinal play at the $625,000 Queens Club tournament in London, forcing Pete Sampras, Marc Goellner, Boris Becker and Guy Forget to play twice today.
Pro Football
Paul Justin threw two of his three touchdown passes to Bobby Olive in leading the Frankfurt Galaxy to a 26-22 victory over the Amsterdam Admirals in the third World League of American Football World Bowl before 23,847 at Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam.
Bob Young, twice an all-pro offensive lineman during his 11 seasons in the NFL, died of an apparent heart attack Saturday. He was 53.
A Dallas municipal court judge found Dallas Cowboy guard Nate Newton innocent of misdemeanor assault in a case stemming from allegations that he fondled a woman in a bar last September.
Former Ram quarterback Dieter Brock was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame along with Tommy Grant and Greg Fulton.
Golf
Patty Sheehan three-putted from six feet on the last hole but clung to a one-stroke lead with a three-under-par 69 in the third round of the LPGA Rochester International in New York.
Tom Wargo holed a 50-yard pitch for an eagle on the 16th hole as part of his second consecutive 64 and a six-shot lead going into the final round of the Dallas Reunion Senior PGA Pro-Am.
Auto Racing
Two McLarens were leading midway through a rain-soaked Le Mans 24 Hours race, but Mario Andretti led his team back into contention after an early accident,
Britain’s Andy Wallace and the father-son team of Derek and Justin Bell led with a McLaren BMW F1 GTR with 142 laps. Another McLaren with Yannick Dalmas of France, J.J. Lehto of Finland and Massanori Sekiya of Japan driving was less than a lap behind.
John Andretti was the fastest second-round qualifier for today’s Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Miscellany
Mike Callahan scored two goals and newcomer Steve MacSwain added a goal and an assist as the Blades defeated the San Diego Barracudas, 6-4, in a Roller Hockey International game at San Diego.
A local business group hoping to buy the Winnipeg Jets made a $7.5-million deposit to the current majority owners of the NHL team. The deposit was part of a deal announced earlier in the week between Jet President Barry Shenkarow and his partners and the Spirit of Manitoba, Inc., and goes toward the team’s $24-million purchase price.
About 70 members of the International Olympic Committee signed a petition proposing a change in the age-limit rules to raise the mandatory retirement age from 75 to 80 in attempt to keep IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch--who turns 75 next month--in power beyond the two years left in his term.
