Keith Costigan is an interesting figure in the North American soccer scene. Born in Ireland, he came to the U.S. on a college scholarship and fell in love with the domestic game. He played professionally with the Portland Timbers in USL, and with the Harrisburg City Islanders, too.
In a world full of overlaps, Costigan worked under assistant coach Mark Pulisic – father of USMNT star Christian – while with the Islanders.
He held training stints with the LA Galaxy as well, but his impact on the domestic game was never on the pitch, rather, it was off it — watching it with a keen eye through a unique perspective.
Costigan is now one of the lead commentators on Apple TV covering MLS, but worked as the voice of the Seattle Sounders for seven years, where he earned two Emmys. Prior, he worked for FOX Sports as the lead play-by-play announcer on the German Bundesliga, while covering the UEFA Champions League, Liga MX, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the European Championships.
It was all unintentional, though, he never had plans to become a voice of the domestic game; it was a “snowball” effect that saw him roll into the position.
“One day, somebody just came up to me and asked me about one of my teammates, Brent Sancho, playing in a World Cup qualifier when I put him in contact with him, and Nick Webster was the guy. And it snowballed into him asking me if I wanted to call the game with him. And I said no, it never, it never crossed my mind. Like, stupid, like I just turned down a great offer. But then he asked again,” Costigan told GOAL. “He was like, come on, you should do it. And then I was like, alright, I’ll do it…You know, playing the game is great, but obviously, at that level, you’re doing it for the love, not for the money. And then? I just started working in broadcasting with FOX, and kind of went from there.”
With FOX, Costigan worked on different shows and broadcasts, becoming a familiar face for many fans across North American soccer. Now, though, he is known as one of the most knowledgeable voices around the continent in domestic soccer.
Costigan weighed in on the upcoming MLS season for the Sounders, LAFC, reigning champions LA Galaxy, and Liverpool FC in the latest edition of Mic’d Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.