German American Soccer League

The German American Soccer League "(GASL)" is the previous name of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, a semi-professional and amateur soccer league which was founded in 1923. The league competes primarily in the New York metropolitan area and northern New Jersey.

History

In 1923, five teams, S.C. New York, Wiener Sports Club, D.S.C. Brooklyn, Hoboken FC 1912 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., Eintracht S.C. 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. 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 crushing the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

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. ^{[http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/year/1965.html]} 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 (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. ^{[http://www.soccerhall.org/ColinJose/InternationalSoccerLeague.htm]} The string of league mergers continued in 1974 when the National Soccer League of New York 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 North American Soccer League 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. ^{[http://soccerhall.org/Election%20Process/2005/VeteransCommitteeEligibility.htm]}

New York Cosmos

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

Champions

* 1927-28 DFC Newark
* 1928-29 DFC Newark
* 1929-30 German-Hungarian SC
* 1930-31 1st SC Vienna
* 1931-32 DFC Newark
* 1932-33 German-Hungarian SC
* 1933-34 German-Hungarian SC
* 1934-35 DSC Brooklyn
* 1935-36 DSC Brooklyn
* 1936-37 DFC Newark
* 1937-38 SC Elizabeth
* 1938-39 DSC Brooklyn
* 1939-40 German-Hungarian SC
* 1940-41 German-Hungarian SC
* 1941-42 German-Hungarian SC
* 1942-43 SC Eintracht
* 1943-44 SC Eintracht
* 1944-45 SC Eintracht
* 1945-46 SC Eintracht
* 1946-47 SC Eintracht
* 1947-48 SC Eintracht
* 1948-49 SC Eintracht
* 1949-50 SC Eintracht
* 1950-51 German-Hungarian SC
* 1951-52 German-Hungarian SC
* 1952-53 SC Elizabeth
* 1953-54 German-Hungarian SC
* 1954-55 German-Hungarian SC
* 1955-56 German-Hungarian SC
* 1956-57 New York Hungaria
* 1957-58 German-Hungarian SC
* 1958-59 New York Hungaria
* 1959-60 New York Hungaria
* 1960-61 New York Hungaria
* 1961-62 New York Hungaria
* 1962-63 Blau-Weiss Gottschee SC
* 1963-64 Greek American AA
* 1964-65 {no champion}
* 1965-66 Blue Star SC
* 1966-67 Ukrainian SC
* 1967-68 Greek American AA
* 1968-69 Greek American AA
* 1969-70 Greek American AA
* 1970-71 SC Elizabeth & NY Hota SC
* 1971-72 Inter-Guiliana SC
* 1972-73 SC Elizabeth
* 1973-74 Inter-Guiliana SC
* 1974-75 Hudson Dalmations
* 1975-76 Inter-Guiliana SC
* 1976-77 Brooklyn Italian SC

GASL in national competitions

U.S. Open Cup

* 1951 New York German-Hungarian
* 1955 S. C. Eintracht
* 1962 New York Hungaria
* 1965 New York Ukrainians
* 1967 Greek American AA
* 1968 Greek American AA
* 1969 Greek American AA
* 1970 S. C. Elizabeth
* 1971 New York Hota
* 1972 S. C. Elizabeth
* 1974 Greek American AA

National Amateur Cup

* 1929 Newark German SC "(runner up)"
* 1936 Brooklyn DSC Germans
* 1944 New York SC Eintracht
* 1949 SC Elizabeth
* 1951 New York German Hungarian SC

McGuire Cup (U-19 National Cup)

* 1936 Hatikvoh F.C.
* 1937 Hatikvoh F.C.
* 1952 Killsman S.C.
* 1953 Newark S.C.
* 1955 Blauweiss Gottschee S.C.
* 1959 New York Ukrainian

External links

* [http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/cosl.html List of champions]
* [http://www.cslny.com/custpage.php?cid=67 Annual league history]