Hear our Tommy Smyth interview to learn more about the Irish-American who is famous for the catch phrase, “Bulge in the old onion bag.”

Tommy Smyth was one of the most prominent personalities covering soccer at ESPN. In 2010, Tommy sat down with World Soccer Talk for an interview about his career, soccer and ESPN.

Thomas Michael (Tommy) Smyth joined ESPN in February 1993 as a soccer analyst for ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN International. He is an anchor of ESPN Soccernet Press Pass, ESPN International’s global football roundtable discussion and is a game analyst for Italian Serie ‘A’, La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. This summer Smyth served as ESPN Radio’s lead match analyst for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and in June 2008, was a game and studio analyst during ESPN’s critically acclaimed coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 (Euro 08). He has also worked on three other FIFA World Cups (1998, 2002 and ’06).

At ESPN, Smyth has called more than 3,000 international matches from leagues all over the world. His credits include providing game analysis for ESPN’s telecast of European championship qualifiers, the Copa Libertadores, the South American Super Cup, Brazilian national championships, the Dutch league and the Italian Super Cups.

Smyth’s insightful soccer analysis originates from having called professional and international matches played by the World’s best players. Leading up to the 2002 World Cup, Smyth would have seen all action involving most of the players as he co-hosted ESPN International’s “Road to World Cup 2002,” aired in over 150 countries.

Smyth served as a game analyst for ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage of the 1998 FIFA Men’s World Cup in France. He also provided studio analysis for ESPN2’s World Cup 2Night, and ESPN & ESPN2’s pre-game and halftime coverage. Smyth served as a co-host of Latin Futbol Weekly, a weekly South American soccer report that aired weekly on ESPN2, and was seen in more than 200 other countries via ESPN International (1993-99). He called World Cup ’94 action for the One-on-One Radio Network.

Smyth has also provided game analysis for Major League Soccer’s NY/NJ Metrostars on a New York regional network as well as select national MLS telecasts on ESPN and ESPN2. In the summer of 1999, he served as co-host of the first soccer call-in show on New York’s WFAN Radio – The Metro Soccer Show.

Smyth has worked several different seasons as an analyst for ESPN’s coverage of MLS. In 2010 he also worked for the new MLS club in Philadelphia.

Smyth has also been host of a radio program heard Saturdays at 6 p.m. ET on WVOX 1460 AM in New Rochelle, NY. He is best known in New York’s Irish community as the “Voice of New York’s Gaelic Park.” Smyth also serves as a commentator during the annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade for WNBC Channel 4. In 2007, he was honored as the Grand Marshal for New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

READ MORE: Tommy Smyth says farewell to ESPN after 24 years

Born in Knockbridge’s County Louth, Ireland, Smyth moved to the United States in 1963 following a brief soccer career with a local Irish team. In America, he played with the Shamrock Club of the German American Soccer League.

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