The Cosmopolitan Soccer League is a regional soccer league consisting of semi-pro and amateur teams based in and around

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Established in 1923, it is one of the oldest soccer leagues in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and has contributed greatly to the nation's soccer history. Currently, the league has four open divisions. The first two divisions require all clubs to also field reserve teams, a requirement that some leagues have abolished, but which the Cosmopolitan Soccer League believes makes its competition some of the strongest in United States soccer. The league also has an over-30 and an over-40 division. The league is

USASA The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for amateur soccer in the United States. It consists of 55 state organizations as well as national, regional and state leagues. The National Premier Soccer League, NI ...

-affiliated. The Cosmopolitan Soccer League plays a traditional international schedule with competition beginning the second weekend of September and running through June, with a winter break from late December to early March. During the winter months, the league runs an indoor tournament due to New York's cold climate.

History

The Cosmopolitan Soccer League was formed as the German American Soccer League in 1923. In 1927, the association changed its name to the German American Football Association. The league was highly successful in the 1920s and, in New York, was behind only

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

in terms of popularity. The league struggled through the Great Depression and by the 1940s the game was viewed by most Americans as an "ethnic" sport. Attendance and popularity declined sharply until the founding of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

in 1968. By the mid-1970s, league officials recognized that in order to maintain the league's viability in the same market as the star-studded

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

, it needed to appeal to a wider audience and in 1977, it voted to change its name to the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. Prior to the professionalizing of the modern American game, the United States national team often consisted of Cosmopolitan League players. In 1923, five teams, S.C. New York, Wiener Sports Club, D.S.C. Brooklyn,

Hoboken FC 1912 The Cosmopolitan Soccer League is a regional soccer league consisting of semi-pro and amateur teams based in and around New York City. Established in 1923, it is one of the oldest soccer leagues in the United States and has contributed greatly ...

and Newark S.C., banded together to found the German American Soccer League. As the name suggests, the teams were largely composed of recent immigrants from Central Europe, primarily Germany. The next year, four more teams, Swiss F.C.,

Elizabeth S.C. Elizabeth SC is an American soccer club based in Union County, New Jersey that is an inactive member of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. History Elizabeth SC was founded in 1924 as Elizabeth Germans in Elizabeth, New Jersey by a group of Ge ...

, S.C. Eintracht and Germania S.C., joined the league. The league renamed itself the German American Football Association in 1927. While the GASL began as a single division league, it added a junior division in 1933. That year, the league also held its first indoor tournament. In addition to its junior division, the GASL also added several lower divisions over the decades. In 1943, all of the U.S. leagues suffered from significant player losses from the U.S. participation in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In order to continue to play a competitive schedule, the GASL joined with the Eastern District Soccer League to run a joint season. Following the end of the war in 1945, the GASL found itself turning from a lack of quality players to an overabundance as Central European professionals left their war ravaged countries to move to the United States. The league experienced a second influx of talented players when Hungarians fled their country following the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

crushing the

1956 Hungarian Revolution The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hung ...

. In 1964, the GASL joined with the professional American Soccer League in a short lived experiment. That year, the two leagues formed the Eastern Professional Soccer Conference which competed during the GASL/ASL off season. The league was a failure and did not complete its one season in existence.
/sup> While the merger with the ASL was less than successful, the GASL undertook a cooperative agreement with another league, this time the International Soccer League (1960-1965), International Soccer League (ISL) in 1965. That season, the GASL All Star team entered the ISL as the New Yorker, going to the final where it lost to Polonia Bytom 5–1.
/sup> The string of league mergers continued in 1974 when the

National Soccer League of New York The National Soccer League of New York (also known as the National League of New York) was an amateur U.S. soccer league which served as a lower division for the ''de facto'' first division American Soccer League from the 1920s into the 1950s. Th ...

merged into the GASL. In 1977, the GASL changed its name in response to a changing American soccer scene. While soccer had existed as an ethnic sport since the 1930s, the creation of the

in 1968 had brought the sport into the mainstream. Recognizing that maintaining its ethnic identity would hinder its acceptance by the wider U.S. sports culture, the GASL governing board voted to rename the league the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. As part of this process, the league’s teams were directed to change their names to ones with less ethnic connotations, although this requirement was dropped three years later. Despite the regional and semi-professional nature of the league, it featured many of the top U.S. player in the 1950s and 1960s. Even into the early 1970s, GASL players appeared regularly with the U.S. national team. The high regard afforded to the league is reflected in that the National Soccer Hall of Fame considers the GASL as one of a handful of leagues in which a player may become eligible for entry into the Hall of Fame.
/sup>

New York Cosmos

The GASL had named an All Star team beginning in 1930. In 1968, after the newly established

approached the GASL about placing a GASL team in the NASL, the league formed its All Star team, known as the Cosmos, into an exhibition team. The Cosmos did not enter the NASL until the 1971 season, but when it did, it was well stocked with former GASL players.

2020–2021 team list

List of the participants in the current season: The top former CSL teams play in the

Eastern Premier Soccer League The Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL) is a United States Adult Soccer Association and a National Independent Soccer Association affiliated Amateur Elite League that includes teams from the Eastern United States. Currently the league has member ...

, which together with

Maryland Major Soccer League Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...

, created a regional based multi-league

promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...

system between these leagues.

Eastern Premier Soccer League

Doxa SC The Doxa SC are a soccer team based in New Rochelle, New York. They currently competes the Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL) and Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL). History Founded in 1962, the club played the National Challenge Cup in 1973, ...

FC Westchester FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Paki ...

* KidSuper Samba AC * Lansdowne Yonkers FC *

NY Athletic Club NY most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York NY, Ny or ny may also refer to: Places * North Yorkshire, ...

* NY Greek Americans *

NY Pancyprian-Freedoms New York Pancyprian-Freedoms is an American amateur soccer team based in Astoria, New York, United States. Founded in 1974, the team plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League, a league at the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The tea ...

Sporting Astoria SC Sporting may refer to: *Sport, recreational games and play *Sporting (neighborhood), in Alexandria, Egypt Sports clubs *AC Sporting, a football club from Beirut, Lebanon *Alexandria Sporting Club, a sports club from Alexandria, Egypt *Real Sportin ...

(now known as New Amsterdam FC II-SASC) * Zum Schneider FC 03

Division 1

* Beyond FC *

Kelmendi FC NY Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia ( Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem river and its tributaries in the Accursed Mou ...

Manhattan Celtic Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Manhattan Kickers Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

NY Greek Americans II NY most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York NY, Ny or ny may also refer to: Places * North Yorkshire, ...

* NY Shamrocks SC * Polonia NY SC *

Real Olé FC Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

* Richmond County FC * Stal Mielec NY * Zum Schneider FC 03 II

Division 2

Block Espanol Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

Borgetto FC Borgetto ( Sicilian: ''Lu Burgettu'') is a small mountain Italian town of the Metropolitan City of Palermo in Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_bl ...

Central Park Rangers FC Reds Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

* DeSportiva Sociedad NY *

FC Japan FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Paki ...

* FC Sandzak * Flushing FC * KidSuper Samba AC II * Missile FC * NY Ukrainian SC * S.C. Eintracht * Williamsburg International F.C. * NY International F.C.

Division 3

* Aurora FC * Barnstonworth Rovers FC *

Brooklyn City FC Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

CD Iberia The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

Central Park Rangers FC Blacks Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

* DeSportiva Sociedad NY City *

FC Partizani NY FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Paki ...

* KidSuper Samba AC II * Laberia FC *

Lansdowne Yonkers FC Metro Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...

Mola SC - MOLAMERICA Mola can refer to: Places * La Mola, Formentera, Balearic Islands, Spain * Lake Mola, a lake near Ilirska Bistrica, Inner Carniola region, Slovenia * Mola di Bari, or simply Mola, a city in Apulia, Southern Italy Mountains *Mola de Colldejou, a ...

NY Galicia NY most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York NY, Ny or ny may also refer to: Places * North Yorkshire, ...

* NY Greek Americans Over-30 *

NY Pancyprian-Freedoms II NY most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York NY, Ny or ny may also refer to: Places * North Yorkshire, ...

* NY Pancyprian-Freedoms Over-30 *

NYC Afghanistan FC New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

* Panatha USA * Ridgewood Romac SC * Sport Vereniging Yellow Hook * Tibet FC

Division 4

Brooklyn Bound SC Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

* DeSportiva Sociedad NY Metro *

Guyana Veterans Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

* MetroAcademy * NY Croatia * Sons of Queens * Sporting SC Over-30

Over 40 Division

America FC 1927 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

* Barnstonworth Rovers Old Boys * Central Park Rangers Legends

* Cozmoz FC *

Doxa SC Legends Doxa (; from verb ) Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. 1940.δοκέω" In '' A Greek-English Lexicon'', edited by H. S. Jones and R. McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. – via Perseus Project. is a common belief or popular opinion. In cl ...

* Manhattan Celtic Masters

* Manhattan Kickers Legends

*

NY Irish Over-40 NY most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the Northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York NY, Ny or ny may also refer to: Places * North Yorkshire, ...

* SC Eintracht Legends * SC Gjoa * Sporting SC Over-40

Inactive Clubs

Union County SC Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Past League Champions

* Both

and New York Hota/Bavarian SC hold the title of champion for the 1970–1971 season

Year by year

Source

CSL in national competitions

National Challenge Cup

* 1951 German-Hungarian SC * 1955 S.C. Eintracht * 1962 NY Hungaria * 1965 NY Ukrainian SC * 1967

Greek American AA NY Greek American Atlas Astoria, commonly known as New York Greek American, is an American soccer team from New York City that currently plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League and in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The club was formed in 194 ...

* 1968

* 1969

* 1970

* 1971 NY Hota * 1972

* 1974

National Amateur Cup

* 1929 DFC Newark ''(runner up)'' * 1936 DSC Brooklyn * 1944 S.C. Eintracht * 1949

* 1951 German-Hungarian SC

McGuire Cup (U-19 National Cup)

* 1936 Hatikvoh FC * 1937 Hatikvoh FC * 1952 Killsman SC * 1953 Newark SC * 1955 Blau-Weiss Gottschee SC * 1959 NY Ukrainian SC

References

;Notes

External links

Cosmopolitan Soccer League
*

Historical Standings
{{Soccer in the United States Soccer leagues in the United States 1923 establishments in New York (state) Sports leagues established in 1923 Regional Soccer leagues in the United States