Ty

Keough

Ty Keough is as close to St. Louis soccer royalty as exists. His father, Harry Keough, was a right back on the 1950 U.S. World Cup team that delivered one of the sport's most famous upsets — a 1-0 win over England in Belo Horizonte — and went on to build Saint Louis University into the dominant program in college soccer, winning five NCAA titles between 1967 and 1982. Ty grew up in that world entirely. His mother had been raised in Guadalajara, and when the 1970 World Cup came to Mexico, the family attended every Guadalajara-hosted match, including games featuring Pelé's Brazil. His father used those moments as teaching opportunities, telling a young Ty to watch specific players and understand why they moved the way they did.

He came through SLUH and was part of the school's 1973 state championship team before enrolling at SLU — where his father was still the head coach. He played all four seasons under him, earned four All-American selections, and left as one of the top midfielders to come out of the program. The St. Louis Steamers brought him home as a professional, and he spent the better part of six MISL seasons there, making nearly 200 appearances and earning three All-Star nods. By the time he retired in 1986, he had played over 400 professional matches across outdoor and indoor leagues.

Keough never really left St. Louis. He coached Washington University for eleven years, then transitioned to broadcasting — calling the very first MLS match in 1996 — and became one of the most recognizable soccer voices in the country during the sport's growth years. The family's footprint in the local game is formalized in the Keough Award, given annually to the top male and female soccer players from the St. Louis area.