Danny Sailer (right) with Arnie Ramirez (left) and Mario Mancini (center) in a picture taken two years ago. (Photo courtesy of Arnie Ramirez)

Former metropolitan area soccer player Danny Sailer has passed away.

Sailer was a member of the New York University freshman soccer team in 1962 and the N.Y. Hota/Bavarians.

He also played for the Czech-American team in the German-American Soccer League (now the Cosmopolitan Soccer League).

In 1961, Sailer was a member of the Haaren High School in midtown Manhattan when it won the New York City championship.

Former Long Island University men’s coach Arnie Ramirez, who was a teammate of Sailer on both teams, remembered his friend.

“Every Saturday we would go and play with the Central Park All-Stars,” Ramirez said on his Facebook page. “We had great pick-up games with former professional players from Colombia and Argentina.”

When Hota took a trip to Germany in 1965, Sailer visited Ramirez in Augsburg when his friend served in the U.S. Army. At the time, Ramirez was playing for the 24th Infantry Division soccer team.

Sailer moved to Florida years ago but when he came up to visit Mario Mancini two years ago Ramirez said he saw his friend.

“We couldn’t stop talking about the great times we had,” Ramirez said. “Rest In Peace my friend. My condolences to his family.”

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.