"Every country dreams of winning the world cup. Some just want to win a game."
A documentary about the football/soccer team of American Samoa, directed Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. In 2001, American Samoa lost 31-0 to Australia, becoming known as the worst national team in the world. At the time the film starts, they haven't won a game in decades. Despite this, they continue to try and try again. For the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, they hire American coach Thomas Rongen to try and improve the team. With less than a month till the qualifiers, he must try and build them into a team capable of winning just one game.— Official Trailer
Taika Waititi is directing a feature film adaptation of the story, starring Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, and Kaimana. It is scheduled for release on November 17, 2023.
Next Goal Wins contains examples of:
- David Versus Goliath: American Samoa tend to be the David to every other team's Goliath. It's even referenced when they're going off to the World Cup qualifiers.
- Down to the Last Play: In the last few second of the match against Samoa, the opposition score.
- Huddle Power: Fairly typically, the team has huddles for prep talks.
- Passionate Sports Girl: Jaiyah is very passionate about football, and Thomas considers her to be one of the most dedicated players.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The team are all amateur players, either studying or with other jobs. They play the typical sports arc straight at first, but it's ultimately subverted when they win their first game in the qualifiers, but in the end lose and fail to qualify.
- Save Our Team: The basic plot of the movie: Thomas Rongen must save the worst team in international football. Even though they don't qualify for the World Cup, they still have the emotional journey, especially Thomas and Nicky.
- Second Place Is for Winners: The third type. All they want is to win one game.
- Team Spirit: Thomas is struck by American Samoa's.
- Underdogs Never Lose: Completely averted for most of the team's history. Played with during the World Cup qualifiers: they win their first game, but still lose in the end.
