American Samoa’s national soccer team, the focus of the British documentary, Next Goal Wins (2014), is also featured in a dramatized version (2022), directed by Taika Waititi and starring Will Arnett and Michael Fassbender.
Bad is bad. Is there something worse? Well, in 2001, the Australian National Team beat the American Samoa National Team 31-0, the worst defeat in international history.
Enter Thomas Rongen (2014), a Dutch soccer coach with U.S. (Major League Soccer) experience. Rongen was named the 1996 MLS Coach of the Year with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, and he loves developing teams and building champions. American Samoa was Rongen’s most challenging assignment.
Rongen worked players hard, developing their skill sets. Some didn’t survive, while others thrived under Rongen’s tutelage. “I’m here to put a winning team on the field,” was his mantra. And that’s what he did. American Samoa beat Tonga, 2-1, in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.
As time passed, the team became more competitive but still lags internationally, ranked by FIFA 190th among 2010 national teams.
The new film, which retains the original title and is an adaptation of the 2014 documentary, was produced by FOX Spotlight Pictures. Shot in Hawaii, the film has experienced a rocky release because of issues associated with one of the film’s actors (sexual assault allegations). Watch the video to get details.
