Next Goal Wins is a film/docu about the
worst national football team in the world, American Samoa. This team
lost 31-0, a World record international result, away to Australia at
Coff's Harbour in 2001, in a World Cup qualifier and were 204th
in the FIFA ranking. The players were humiliated by the result but
there have been plenty of other heavy scores against them from Fiji
11, and Vanuatu 15.
The players have a practice pitch
wrecked by a tsunami, they have to pray three times a day (which
might help or interrupt routines?) and cannot practice on a Sunday.
When “maverick” Dutch coach, Thomas Rongen, arrived to bail the
team out, there were only two practice balls on the island-they
say-to help the team prepare for the Brazil tournament. Rongen was
the assistant coach when the USA took part in the 1998 World Cup. He
persuaded Nicky Salapu, the goalkeeper who faced the Australian
drubbing, to come back and play and then acquired Jaiyah Saelua as a
feisty player who has made the headlines since she is actually
Jonathan, a transgender footballer, known to the squad as the third
gender, fa'afafine.
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Results in the qualifiers in 2011,
brought about a very rare win against Tonga 2-1, after 30 consecutive
defeats and a draw with the Cook Islands 1-1; hence their rankings
shot to 173rd. They lost their final group game 0-1 to
Samoa, this goal being scored in the 89th minute.
Next Goal Wins documents the progress
of the team towards the 2014 World Cup and is directed by Mike Brett
and Steve Jamison.
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