COSMOS DEFEAT JUVENTUS, 2-1

By ALEX YANNIS
Published: August 13, 1984 New York Times

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Aug. 12— Giuseppe Damiani of Italy and Wladyslaw Smuda of Poland, both of whom are coveted by the Cosmos, made special appearances here tonight as guests of the Cosmos in their 2-1 victory over Juventus.

Smuda played the whole game, and Damiani was replaced by Dragan Vujovic in the 57th minute.

The Cosmos want to sign both Damiani and Smuda to regular contracts. But the team may have difficulty getting the two stars as a result of the latest collective bargaining agreement with the players union.

''We want the two players,'' Giorgio Chinaglia, the president of the Cosmos, said. ''Some people in the league talk about rules and regulations. I'm talking about survival.''

Chinaglia, who took control of the Cosmos from Warner Communications July 25, said he was particularly pleased that his first home game as president of the Cosmos was a victory against one of the world's premier teams.

Moyers and Davis Score

The Cosmos were slightly better than Juventus, the champions of Italy for 21 years, including this season. Steve Moyers opened the scoring in the eighth minute, and Rick Davis scored the winner on a penalty kick with five minutes left after Claudio Prandelli had tied it for Juventus in the 51st minute.

Davis has signed two 15-day contracts with the Cosmos. In his first game back since he left for the St. Louis Steamers of the Major Indoor Soccer League, Davis got a rousing ovation from the crowd of 36,724. He played the entire game.

''All three players did well for us and we're determined to sign them to long-term contracts,'' said Peppe Pinton, the general manager of the Cosmos. ''Giorgio wants to sign them and he should not be denied that right.''

The three-year agreement that was signed in April stipulates that each team in the league is allowed two new foreign players in the next three years. Ted Howard, the executive director of operations for the North American Soccer League, said he would meet with Pinton to discuss the ramifications of signing two foreign players at this time.

Won't 'Cripple' Cosmos

Pinton said the present ownership of the Cosmos was not involved with the league when it signed the agreement with the players union. He said the Cosmos would not do what is dictated to them by other teams in the league.

''The league must understand the Cosmos will take a leadership role, not what Tulsa or Minnesota want,'' Pinton said. ''We can't cripple the franchise. The league has been telling me we can sign only one player. These two players are very good and they're so inexpensive.''

Chinaglia and Pinton said the Cosmos would not have to pay a transfer fee for Damiani and Smuda. They said Damiani had been promised his transfer by A. C. Milan at no cost to the Cosmos, while Smuda, who played for Verona in the Italian League last year, was a free agent.

''These two players are much better than some of the players we have now, and they'll cost us much less to have them on the team,'' Pinton said.

Damiani confirmed after the game that he could come to the Cosmos at no cost for a transfer fee. He said he was looking forward to joing the Cosmos, but emphasized he was not interested in playing indoors, which is what the Cosmos want to do in the winter.

''He's a good player,'' Chinaglia said about Damiani. ''He's got a good reputation in Italy, and I thought he also did well when he played here with the world all-stars.''

Damiani, 34 years old, was one of the forwards in a selection of stars from around the world that defeated the Cosmos, 3-1, here last month.

Smuda is a 29-year-old member of the national team of Poland.

From the New York Times Website: Http://query.nytimes.com

By ALEX YANNIS, Special to the New York Times (The New York Times); Sports Desk June 10, 1985, Monday

Two well-known internationals, playing their first soccer game at Giants Stadium, scored goals 4 minutes apart tonight and led the Cosmos to a 2-0 victory over Sporting Club of Lisbon before a crowd of 15,724. Macho Figueroa of Honduras scored the first goal in the 75th minute, and Carlos Caszely of Chile got the other goal, in what was the second game of a series of international matches for the Cosmos this season. Both scorers entered the game as second-half substitutes, an indication that the Cosmos still have several players of considerable ability. Nine of tonight's 11 starters, including the entire defense, also started the first game of the schedule, a 2-2 tie against Independiente of Argentina, the world club champion.

From the NY Times website: Http://www.nytimes.com/

Disappointed by the small attendance at their first three exhibition games this spring, such as tonight's crowd of 8,677 that saw a 2-1 loss to Lazio, the Cosmos will meet Monday to decide whether to continue the schedule of international matches. ''It seems that we're fighting a losing proPos,'' said Giorgio Chinaglia, the president of the Cosmos, who took control last June. ''It's probable we won't continue. We'll decide that in a meeting tomorrow.''

From the NY Times website: http://www.nytimes.com/