Soccer’s Brain Trust Begins Tackling Issues : Soccer: Proposed U.S. professional league and World Cup point system are at top of the agenda.

LAS VEGAS — Soccer’s international brain trust has come here, ensconced itself in sumptuous hotels and commenced doing what it does so well--hold meetings.

Wednesday was the opening day of board meetings, executive committee confabs and sparkling galas that will lead to Sunday’s World Cup draw, wherein the groups and schedule for next summer’s tournament will be set. Until then, FIFA, soccer’s international governing body; the U.S. Soccer Federation; the World Cup ’94 Organizing Committee and various sponsors and marketing partners will meet.

Among other matters expected to be reviewed and/or resolved:

--A decision to award three points for a victory in the first round of the World Cup and other rules changes.

--A presentation to FIFA of the USSF’s plan to organize a professional soccer league in 1995.

--FIFA’s analysis of World Cup ‘94’s performance to date, including a detailed report of security preparations.

--The election of new members to the World Cup board of directors, including Marian Wright-Edelman and Donna de Varona.

--The hashing out between World Cup ’94 and FIFA of exact draw procedures.

Of particular interest to FIFA is the proposed professional league. As a condition of awarding the World Cup to the United States, FIFA had required establishment of a professional league by 1992. Having let that deadline pass, FIFA will consider the USSF proposal to begin a first division-type league in the spring of 1995.

The federation earlier this month gave tentative sanction to Major League Professional Soccer, a group led by Alan Rothenberg, USSF president and World Cup chief executive. MLPS is a subsidiary of World Cup ’94.

Few details of the MLPS plan have been released, but Rothenberg said his proposal calls for the league to be organized by a single entity, with central ownership of all 12 teams. Coaches, players and team administrators would be league employees.

The average salary is expected to be about $65,000, and each team will be required to have a minimum number of Americans on its roster, probably about three-quarters of the total.

Rothenberg said the league’s budget is expected to be about $100 million, but he would not give the origin of the financing. After giving MLPS its tentative sanction, the USSF appointed a six-member committee to develop a time line for MLPS to meet certain goals--financing in particular.

Establishing a viable professional soccer league in the United States has long been a goal of FIFA. The federation is said to be concerned about the bidding process, however. Rothenberg’s group beat out proposals by the American Professional Soccer League, the current second division league; and by League One America, headed by Chicago businessman Jim Paglia.

Both disgruntled bidding groups have indicated they might seek to resolve the matter in court, under antitrust statues, a scenario that has FIFA officials upset.

Of the other agenda items, two are especially interesting.

Most soccer officials are believed to be in favor of awarding three points for a victory in the first round of the World Cup, rather than two. Without a change in the point system, there is little incentive to play for more than a tie.

FIFA announced recently that the decision was World Cup 94’s to make. Rothenberg has said that he favors a change, but a FIFA spokesman said this week that there was no assurance the rule would be adopted.

The addition of de Varona, a former Olympic swimmer, to the World Cup board of directors raises a possible conflict of interest. de Varona works for ABC Sports, which will televise the World Cup. As a member of the board, de Varona is in a position to profoundly affect the organization and manner in which the tournament is conducted.