European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 32 the stars and stripes sports monday july 18,1994 in 4-0 Romp Over Bulgaria swedish goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli does a handstand after shutting out Bulgaria. By Barry Wilner Pasadena Calif. A Sweden the land of the olympic hockey Champion showed it knows something about filling a slightly bigger net. Coming off an ugly semifinal loss to Brazil in which it never ventured Down Field the swedes presented a Brilliant attack saturday in routing Bulgaria 4-0 for third place at the world cup. It was their finest soccer showing since finishing second to Brazil in the 1958 tournament. Quot it almost Felt like every offensive move we were getting a goal scoring Opportunity a said Henrik Larsson who capitalized on one of those chances As Sweden took the scoring Lead for the month Long event with 15 goals. Tomas Brolin named to the Lovirna ment All Star team the previous Day showed Why with a Goat and two sensational assists. Kennet Andersson and Hakan mild also scored and goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli made several sensational saves to preserve the shutout. Quot i think this is the biggest thing for us a Brolin said. Quot we Are Well pleased with what we did. We were disappointed with what we did against Brazil but we Are Happy with third placed its a huge thing for us to have this  after the game Ravelli led his teammates to the medals podium then took them Over to the stands where several swedish fans were waving flags. Many players threw their jerseys into the crowd % and wrapped themselves in their Flag As they left the Field. A it was a fantastic feeling to go this far Quot said coach Tommy Svensson who hugged his 80-year-old father in the Jubi Tant locker room. A the Bronze medal is a am a. The Best thing that has Wariq up Ever happened to me i 1q a Oaas a soccer player or a vow Quot soccer coach. Its a great  Bulgaria which beat 1986 Champion Argentina and 1990 Winner Germany on its Way to the semifinals looked \ More like some of the nations less successful representatives. The bulgarians were 0-10-6 in five world cup appearances before their Strong showing Here. But their tournament ended on a decidedly negative note As they seemed disinterested in the Bronze medal match played before vice president Ai Gore Ana some 80,000 other fans at the Rose bowl. A too Many games too much stress a Bulgaria coach Dimitar Penev said. A this game should not take  while Sweden displayed a Strong offence marked by excellent passing Bulgaria was lethargic rarely snowing inspired play. Hristo Stoichkov bulgarians Star strik or was frustrated time and again a by teammates who  get the Ball to him and by Ravelli who saved several Pointblank shots after stitch kovy a blast late in the game was blocked by Ravelli the bulgarian striker flopped face Down on the turf in front of the net and pounded the grass. Brolin began the swedish onslaught in the eighth minute with a header off a great pass  Ingeson. Then came nine minutes that put the bulgarians away. Brolin tapped the Ball off a free kick to a breaking mild and it caught the bulgarians napping. Mild faked out goalie Borislav Mihaylov in the 30th minute. Seven minutes later Broling through East to Larsson gave him a breakaway and e went around Mihaylov to make it 3-0. Just two minutes later in Gesson a Long pass from the left Wing was headed Home by Andersson his fifth goal of the tournament. Bulgarians Best Chance came in the 78th minute but again it  quite do things correctly. Ivailo Lor Danovi a shot was bobbled by Ravelli. The rebound went directly to Krassimir Malakov who sent it crashing off the crossbar. Stoichkov finished the world cup with six goals tied with Oleg Salenko for the tournament Lead a pending sundays final Between Brazil and Italy. Ravelli clearly enjoying the moment played to the crowd after his leg save against Stoichkov. He made several other saves and with three minutes left he even did a Cartwheel. Gave it Well they gave us the world cup and we did no to drop it. We did no to use Day Glo Orange balls Cut up the games into four quarters outlaw the offsides Rule or do anything sacrilegious to sell soccer to sceptical americans. Nor did we plead ignorance and decide not to pay at Tention As the smug europeans and South americans who love the game feared that we would. No we managed not to Embarrass ourselves or the game or the people who care about it. We managed to do of. We managed to put on Only the Best world cup in history in Many ways. _ the biggest happiest sellout crowding St to shirt sell ingest riot free est world cup of them All. So now we can give it Back. Back to the people who deserve it and the places where it belongs. Back to the countries that realty care. Back to the countries where fans can March in Masse from the pub to the pitch which is the Way its supposed to be. Fifa soccer a governing body came Here because we were a huge untapped Market. Well see How much we were tapped. Done to bet your Beach vacation Money. Don t confuse a popular big event with the stirrings of a soccer Boom. We get into big events even ones with sports we done to know. See olympics Winter but we re not a True soccer country. Never have been never Wilt be. That was the Only thing wrong with this world cup it was in the wrong place. As much fun As it was and As much As we sold out big stadiums created wonderful atmosphere at games and gave the event every Inch of the big shoulders it deserves we  give it a soul. We just done to care enough about soccer. Not enough of us do anyway. Look at the television ratings which were Good better than anticipated a an average of 4.4 million households watched the games on Abc. That a peanuts compared to football baseball or basketball playoffs. In countries where they really care every to set is turned to the cup. Businesses shut Down. Presidents hold All Calls. You can to get service at a restaurant. That la never happen Here. Not unless the next Tonya or . Plays for the . Soccer team. In countries where they really care going to a game is like going to an old abandoned Castle in Scotland. John Eisenberg world cup commentary you feel the history in your Bones. That la never happen Here. It can to. We have no soccer history. In countries where they really care the cup was topic a. Here it was basically a set of bubbles on the landscape. It does no to mean that our cup was inferior. Not nearly. We  give it soul but we gave it a lot of other things prior cups Haven to had. We gave it clean big full stadiums. We gave it upbeat positive crowds As peaceful As a pack of Kittens. We gave it a modern infrastructure highways airports big note rooms stadium parking lots. We gave it that most american of traditions the big sell. What did we give the world cup we gave it a new higher Standard for excellence. The French who Are putting on the next cup already Are apologizing about their Small stadiums. What a amusing is the europeans and South americans Are surprised by this surprised that we could take their baby and nurse it every bit As Well As they could. They done to get it. Americans cup was always going to be a Success it was a perfect fit from the Day it was assigned. We May not love soccer but we love sports and big events and we be got millions of ethnics who do love soccer. The rest of the world just  see it coming. The worst thing that happened was the horrific murder of Andres Escobar the colombian player who was killed for knocking a Ball info his own goal in a game. But that happened a continent away and had less to do with sports than with the problems in colombians tragic drug infested society. The Best thing that happened in this world cup How can you choose one there was the magic of Romario and Baggio and Hagi. There was bulgarians memorable upset of Germany. There was the electric crowd at Italy Ireland in giants stadium there was the swarm of Happy brazilian fans on the West coast. Ours was a Fine warm world cup. The Experiment was a Success by any measure. We pulled it off. The event now moves on to France then probably Japan or South Korea in 2002, no matter where it goes it will go to a country that cares More about soccer than we do a country that is a More fitting Host. But no matter where it goes it will have to surpass America cup before it is judged one of the Best. Tha Baltimore Sun Lendl sweeps doubleheader to reach final Brookline mass. Apr Ivan Lendl swept a doubleheader saturday defeating Mats Wilander in the quarterfinals and Wally Masur in the Semi i also the . Pro Tennis championships. Lendl the top seed and two time defending Champion was to face third seeded Mulivai Washington in sunday nights final of the $250,000 hard court tournament. Lendl sidelined for nearly two months with Back pain before returning for this tournament reached the final with a 7-6 7-36-3 defeat of Masur. Earlier in the Day he had won 7-6 7-4 6-3 Over old rival Wilander. Lendl said playing two matches in one Day a situation caused by rain on Friday night did not seem to affect his Back. A a it a not bad at All a he said. A a it a the legs that Are really  Washington had 14 aces and allowed Only three Points on his serve in the second set As he Defeated Patrick Mcenroe 7-5, 6-2 to reach the final. Washington broke Mcenroe a serve to wrap up the first set and then won three straight games opening the second set to take control. The seventh seeded Mcenroe had advanced to the semifinals earlier saturday afternoon by finishing off a 6-3, 6-4 Victory Over Jimmy Arias that had been suspended by rain Midway through the second set on Friday the Lendl Wilander Battle was a clash of former no. 1 players who ruled menus Tennis with their steady Baseline games in the late 1980s. Their most memorable match was the final of the 1988 . Open a five setter that Wilander won to take the no. 1 ranking away from Lendl. The years have changed their approach to Tennis. Lendl 34, still relies on his serve and forehand to overpower opponents but he no longer tries to outlast them. A this forehand is not As dangerous As it used to be but he goes for a lot More winners than he used to a the 29-year-old Wilander said