1923

The "German-American Soccer League" is founded by five clubs: SC New York, Wiener Sports Club, DSC Brooklyn, Hoboken FC and Newark SC.

1924

Four more clubs join the league: Swiss FC, Elizabeth SC, Eintracht of Elizabeth and Germania SC.

1928

The German-American League is reorganized as the "German-American Football Association".

1929

The first club team of the GAFA plays in a National Final as the Newark SC bows to Heidelberg of Pennsylvania in the Amateur Cup final.

1930

The German-American Football Association combines forces with the German-American Sports Association of Milwaukee to send an All-Star team to Germany.

1931

The GAFA forms its first Junior Committee for the promotion of Junior Soccer.

1933

The first Junior Division is formed with Erwin A. Klaus as chairman.

The German-Hungarian SC wins the first indoor tournament of the GAFA which is held at the Brooklyn Navy Armory.

1935

Harry A. Kraus becomes Junior Chairman of the GAFA as vast progress is being made in youth soccer.

1936

DSC Brooklyn becomes the first club from the GAFA to win national honors as they beat the Castle Shannon Club of Pittsburgh in the Amateur Cup Final. Hatikvoh wins the coveted National Junior Soccer Championship the same year.

1939

Harry A. Kraus is elected 3rd Vice-President of the USSFA and becomes the first official from the GAFA to receive national recognition.

1943

Due to the enlistment of many of our young people in the US Armed forces, joint operations are conducted with the Eastern District Soccer League.

1945

Harry A. Kraus is elected 1st Vice-President of the USSFA.

1950

The GAFA invites Hamburger SV to the United States, the first German team to be invited since World War II.

The GAFA All-Star team tours Germany.

1954

Due to the growth of the junior movement, the senior body decides to have the German-American Junior League elect its own executive board.

1957

The GAFA All-Star team faces a star studded 1st FC Kaiserslautern team, including five national team players, and comes away with a stunning upset victory.

1959

New York/Hota SC, by traveling to Germany, becomes the first club team in American soccer to undertake a foreign tour.

1960

The GAFA All-Star team plays both 1860 Munich and Manchester United on Randalls Island, NY losing by one goal each game.

The GAFA All Star team is once again invited to Germany playing FC Kaiserslauten, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Nuernberg and 1860 Munich.

1961

The German-American Junior League, under its secretary Walter Marburg, undertakes a soccer tour of Germany.

1962

The GAFA plays host to the German National Team which defeats our All Stars.

The league championship club, New York Hungaria, is selected by the US State Department for a tour of the Middle East.

1963

The First Annual Indoor Tournament is staged at the 34th Street Armory in Manhattan.

Paul Klein of SC Elizabeth is elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Erwin A. Single is elected 3rd Vice-President of the USSFA.

The Association celebrates its 40th Anniversary with a banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

1964

The GAFA and the American Soccer League operate a joint schedule as the "Eastern Conference".

1965

The GAFA All Stars, playing under the name "New Yorkers" compete in the International Soccer League in New York and win the Division title against strong foreign opposition such as West Ham United, 1860 Munich, Varese of Italy and Portuguese of Brazil. The All Stars would lose in the playoffs to Polonia Bythom.

1966

The GAFA All Stars travel to Guatemala to play two matches.

1968

The GAFA establishes the HARRY A. KRAUS MEMORIAL PLAQUE to be awarded annually to the winner of the major division.

The North American Soccer League (NASL) negotiates with our association about the operation of a professional franchise in New York. These discussions eventually lead to the placing of the New York Cosmos as the NASL franchise of New York.

The German-American Junior League holds its 35th Anniversary Banquet at the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City.

1969

The GAFA establishes the AUGUST STEUER MEMORIAL TROPHY, honoring its late honorary president, to be awarded annually to the winner of the Indoor Tournament.

Erwin A. Single is elected President of the USSFA.

August Steuer is elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Harry J. Saunders is appointed Eastern United States Development Chairman of the USSFA.

The GAFA All-Star team plays Barcelona FC of Spain on Randalls Island, NY, losing 2-1 in a tight match.

New York/Hota SC holds a Testimonial Dinner for USSFA President Erwin A. Single, which is co-sponsored by the GAFA and the SNYSSA.

1971

The GAFA and the New York Cosmos of the NASL sign a contract of mutual assistance and cooperation.

1973

The GAFA celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a banquet at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey.

1974

One of the oldest soccer leagues in New York, the National Soccer League, under its president George Donnelly, is merged into the German-American Football Association.

The GAFA establishes its own league office.

1975

The GAFA honors its arbiter, Conrad Schuricht, for 50 years of loyal and uninterrupted service to the league with a Testimonial Dinner.

Alex Weir is inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

1977

The GAFA creates a permanent trophy in honor of its late life member and former President Robert Tonn, to be awarded annually to the team with the best record of fairness and sportsmanship.

The delegates vote to change the marketing name of the league to the “Cosmopolitan Soccer League". All clubs are also required to change their ethnic names within one year.

1978

The Cosmopolitan Soccer League tenders a gala dinner in honor of Franz Beckenbauer as over 600 people attend the affair at Schuetzen Park in New Jersey.

Enzo Magnozzi is elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

1979

The Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League undertakes a tour of Finland and Sweden to compete in the Helsinki and Gothia Cups.

1981

Erwin A. Single and Harry J. Saunders are elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

The Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League once again undertakes a foreign tour, this time to Germany.

1982

The CSL allows its clubs to revert back to their ethnic names if they so choose.

1983

The CSL celebrates its 60th Anniversary with a gala banquet at the Tamcrest Country Club in Tappan, New Jersey.

Secretary Fritz L. Marth, after serving for 20 years in this capacity, is honored with the title of "Secretary Emeritus".

1986

The CSL enters into a joint venture with the American Eagles of the soon to be formed American Soccer League, whereby the league will provide the team and coaches for a new franchise called the Cosmopolitan Eagles.

1987

The Cosmopolitan Eagles play a series of exhibition games against Millonarios de Colombia, the NASL All-Stars, and the Washington Diplomats.

John Kilby is elected President, Werner Maass Vice-President and Dr. Joseph Koechling Treasurer of the Cosmopolitan Eagles.

1988

The CSL takes a revised partnership position with respect to the Cosmopolitan Eagles to allow for local identification with the New Jersey franchise base. The team wins the divisional championship, but faces problems developing a fan base.

Past-President Herbert Heilpern is elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

1992

The CSL drops the requirement of clubs having to field junior teams, allowing the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League to fully conduct its own affairs.

1993

Permission is granted from the New Jersey State Soccer Association to form an Over-30 league in New Jersey which will complement the existing New York division.

1997

New York Athletic Club achieves a rare milestone in recent times with its third straight First Division Championship.

2000

Florence Mazurczyk retires as league office secretary after 26 years.

2006

Former Elizabeth SC junior coach, Bob Bradley, is named US national team coach.

2007

Teams from the CSL achieve great success as all eight New York State Cup quarterfinalists are CSL teams.

The league’s legal name is changed to "Cosmopolitan Soccer League, Inc."

2011

NY Pancyprians win the USASA US Open Cup for the third time in four years.

 2017

Lansdowne Bhoys takes the "national double" winning both the National Amateur Cup and the USASA Open (Werner Fricker) Cup.

 2020

The CSL is a founding member of the Eastern Premier Soccer League, a multi-state league playing along the East Coast with a system of promotion and relegation from lowest to highest amateur levels. Most CSL 1st division clubs join the EPSL's Metropolitan Conference.