Next Goal Wins

Next Goal Wins

United Kingdom | 2014 | 97 min. | Mike Brett; Steve Jamison

December 10, 2022

Seattle Soccer Film Festival

This uplifting documentary chronicles the national football team of American Samoa as they try to recover from the indignity of being known as one of the weakest football teams in the world, and to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

SIFF year-round passes and vouchers are not valid for this film.

American Samoa's soccer team is an international laughing stock. Losers who haven't won a single game in 10 years, they are desperate to gain the support and pride of their nation. When fiery maverick Thomas Rongen flies in from the US to coach them for their World Cup 2014 qualifying matches, what he finds is in shambles. But underneath their unpolished exteriors lies a fighting spirit and a hunger to win that gives him, and his team, fresh hope… A heart-warming and life-affirming film about the triumph of the underdog and the human spirit, Next Goal Wins is a sure-fire winner.

  • Director: Mike Brett; Steve Jamison
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Year: 2014
  • Running Time: 97 min.