Long-time Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League secretary Emil Cohill will be honored along with six other notables at the New York City Soccer Gala at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan Wednesday night, March 1.

Cohill came to the United States from Croatia in 1952. He attended St. Mary’s Grammar School in Tacoma, Wash., where he was a CYO All-Star. In 1955 he moved to New York and studied at Power Memorial Academy. After graduation, he attended Fordham University where he was the the soccer team’s MVP in 1962 before playing for Dalmatinac Soccer Club in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League from 1963 to 1980.

He was elected CJSL secretary, a position he holds today. He became a referee in 1981 and is still an active official. Cohill also is the director of the 40th Annual Herbert Heilpern Indoor Tournament in Queens this winter.

The Woodside, N.Y. resident was inducted into the Eastern New York Hall of Fame in 1999 and was honored as a Life Member of the CJSL in 2003.

“In this day and age of Internet and cell phones, Emil is a throwback who has kept things in perspective and at a even keel, always reminding us how things were done in the past without today’s technology and it somehow all worked,” CJSL director Dimitrie Draguca said.

Also being honored that night are Charles Balsamo (Columbia University), Kevin Daly (St. John’s University), Chris Donovan (Fordham University), Mario Fava (St. Francis College), Martin Jacobson (Martin Luther King High School coach) and Mickey Kydes (LIU Brooklyn).

The New York City Soccer Gala is organized by the NCAA Division I men’s college soccer programs in New York City.

For more information, log on to http://www.nycsoccergala.com.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.