PRISTINA, March 30 : Under Serbian rule in the 1990s, sporting events in Kosovo were banned and soccer games were held privately. After matches, players washed off in small rivers or with melted snow.  Today, Kosovo are on the verge of winning a spot in the World Cup finals for the first time - a potentially momentous sporting turnaround for Europe's youngest nation.  Kosovo, which gained independence from Serbia in 2008 and was only sanctioned to join world soccer in 2016, will host Turkey in