Harry Keough, on '50 World Cup soccer team

ST. LOUIS -- Harry Keough, who played for the U.S. soccer team that famously upset England at the 1950 World Cup, died yesterday at his home in St. Louis. He was 84.

U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Michael Kammarman said his death was confirmed by son Ty Keough, who also played for the American national team.

A defender who had one goal in 19 appearances for the United States from 1949-57, Keough coached Saint Louis University to five NCAA soccer titles. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976.

Of all his accomplishments, Keough is best remembered for what happened in Brazil. He started all three games for the Americans at the 1950 World Cup. The 1-0 win over England in the Americans' second game is regarded by many as the greatest upset in soccer history.

"We felt if we could just play pretty good, it would be enough," Keough recalled in a 2002 AP interview. "In our minds, if we lost 2-0, we'd feel pretty good about ourselves."

Growing up in St. Louis when it was the soccer center of the United States, Keough was a youth player for the St. Louis Schumachers. While serving in the Navy after World War II, he joined the San Francisco Barbarians. After the military, he played in St. Louis for Paul Schulte Motors and was picked for the U.S. team at the 1949 North American Football Confederation Championship, which served as qualifying for the World Cup.

Keough was among five from the St. Louis area in the starting lineup against England, a group profiled in the 2005 movie "The Game of their Lives." On June 29, 1950, the Americans went ahead in the 37th minute when Walter Bahr collected a throw-in from Ed McIlvenny and took a shot from about 25 yards out that Joe Gaetjens deflected past goalkeeper Bert Williams with a diving header.

"They were outplaying us," Keough said during a 2005 interview with AP. " . . . For us to be ahead at the half was one thing," he added. "For us to hold it was another."

The Americans were eliminated in their next game, a 5-2 loss to Chile.

An employee of the U.S. Postal Service while a player, Keough coached Florissant Valley Community College, then was hired by St. Louis. His first team was NCAA co-champion in 1967, and he went on to coach the Billikens to titles in 1969, 1970, 1972 and 1973. He retired after the 1982 season with a record of 213 wins, 50 losses and 22 ties. -- AP