Harry Keough American football player, defender Date of Birth: 15.11.1927 Country: USA

1. Biography of Harry Keough
2. Early Career
3. Success with St. Louis Kutis
4. International Career
5. Coaching Career and Legacy

Biography of Harry Keough

Harry Keough was an American football player, a defender, and a participant in the legendary match between the national teams of England and the United States at the 1950 World Cup. He was born in St. Louis and was involved in various sports from a young age.

Early Career

Keough's football career began with the St. Louis Shamrocks. With this club, he won the Youth Challenge Cup in 1946. He then joined the United States Navy and played for the San Francisco Barbarians. After being discharged, he returned to St. Louis and played for Paul Schulte Motors. The club changed its name to St. Louis McMahon in the 1949-1950 season and later became known as the St. Louis Raiders. In 1952, Keough won the amateur championship and cup with the club. The team changed its name again to St. Louis Kutis in the following year.

Success with St. Louis Kutis

St. Louis Kutis continued to dominate the championship in the next two seasons and reached the final of the U.S. Open Cup in 1954, where they were defeated by the New York Americans. In 1957, Keough finally won the U.S. Open Cup while playing for St. Louis Kutis. He also won the amateur cup for six consecutive years, from 1956 to 1961.

International Career

In 1949, Keough made his debut for the national team and played in the American Nations Cup, which also served as the qualifying tournament for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. At the World Cup, he played in three matches, including the famous match against England in Belo Horizonte on June 29, 1950, where the Americans caused a sensation by winning 1-0. Keough continued to represent the national team until 1957, even participating in the qualifying tournament for the 1958 World Cup. He scored only one goal for the national team, scoring a penalty against Canada in June 1957.

Coaching Career and Legacy

From 1967 to 1982, Keough coached the St. Louis Billikens football team. In 1976, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2004, Keough, along with Frank Borghi, Walter Bahr, Gino Pariani, and John Souza, participated in a ceremony honoring the members of the team that defeated England in Belo Horizonte. A year later, the film "The Game of Their Lives" was released, depicting that memorable victory. Prior to the 2010 World Cup, where England and the United States were once again drawn in the same group, Keough and Borghi, the goalkeeper for the U.S. national team in that match, reminisced about the details of that encounter in interviews with journalists. Keough passed away in his hometown of St. Louis on February 7, 2012. He will always be remembered as a holder of the U.S. Open Cup in 1957.