Abc May Air Soccer

American soccer officials are close to completing a deal with ABC in which three to five U.S. national team games will be aired annually for the next few years.

The telecasts will begin in June with the U.S. Cup ‘95, a four-team tournament to be played from June 13-25 involving the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Nigeria, according to soccer and television officials who asked not to be identified.

ABC averaged a 5.3 rating last summer for 11 World Cup telecasts. ESPN, which is 80 percent-owned by Capital Cities-ABC, already has agreed to televise Major League Soccer in 1996, and also will televise U.S. national team games.

The soccer officials said the deal will include the rights to qualifying games for the 1998 World Cup in France.