Match ball from the first Cosmos NASL home game played at the Giants Stadium on 17th April 1977 v Rochester Lancers, THE BALL SIGNED BY THE TWO COSMOS

Match ball from the first Cosmos NASL home game played at the Giants Stadium on 17th April 1977 v Rochester Lancers, THE BALL SIGNED BY THE TWO COSMOS GOALSCORERS FROM THE MATCH PELE & GIORGIO CHINAGLIA, a French manufactured Adidas Official NASL soccer ball bearing the facsimile signature of Commissioner Phil Woosnam, the pentagon panels with white outlined red stars on a blue background, in addition to the signatures the ball bears the match identification in the hand of the Cosmos equipment manager Charles Martinelli, housed in a Lucite display box Cosmos and the Lancers were the great local Derby rivals in the NASL and the two teams christened the new home of the Cosmos at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In 1977 the prefix ''New York'' was dropped from the club name, before making a return in 1979. In an exciting match Pele and Giorgio Chinaglia scored during the Cosmos 2-0 win. Pele was a constant threat to the Rochester defence and as well as scoring set up a series of goal opportunities for team-mates. Provenance: The Charles Martinelli Collection. Former Equipment Manager of the New York Cosmos.