“Next Goal Wins” is a movie that was released on Nov. 17 about the struggling American Samoa men’s soccer team and its journey towards getting its first win with the help of a foreign coach from the United
States. Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), a Dutch-American coach, faces the option of either losing his job or accepting a job coaching the American Samoa team, which hasn’t won a game in 28 years.
Rongen, struggling with anger issues and also now separated from his wife, realizes he doesn’t really have much of a choice and reluctantly accepts the position. Rongen is not particularly likable with his anger issues and repulsive behavior. He does have a redemption arc, which, while not perfectly crafted, was effective in making the audience empathize with him if not excuse his behavior.
Upon arriving in American Samoa, Rongen begins to understand that life on the island is far from luxurious, but can still be quite peaceful. When coaching the national team, he quickly realizes that they have
never properly learned the fundamentals of soccer and do not possess a professional and dedicated mindset. For this reason, he is quite harsh on the players, leading to him being mentally distant. At this point, Rongen also meets Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana), a transgender athlete, and makes transphobic comments towards her and does not respect her chosen name.
Although Rogen’s relationship with the players starts out very rocky, he gradually gains empathy and begins to make amends after realizing the sacrifices the players are making in order to keep the national team running. Rongen also mends his relationship with Saelua by learning more about her. He also travels around the island with her to recruit other American Samoan players to join the team.
One particularly important recruit is Nicky Salapu (Uli Latukefu), the goalkeeper who played in the infamous 31-0 loss to Australia 10 years prior. Salapu, feeling ashamed of the loss, had quit the team, but
Rongen wanted him to rejoin because he was the best goalkeeper American Samoa ever had.
Through many trials and tribulations, Rongen builds team camaraderie by climbing
a mountain. He also uses “us vs. them” terminology to motivate the players to win against Tonga, the team they are playing against next.
Upon first seeing Kaimana’s character, I couldn’t help but worry that her character might be another attempt at surface-level diversity. However, I was relieved to learn she was based on a real person,
dispelling my initial concerns of forced inclusion. Despite having to watch a few awkward scenes, I appreciated the genuine effort to weave her into the storyline. While her role was slightly exaggerated,
it effectively portrayed a well-rounded character.
Kaimana’s journey navigating personal struggles and growth provided meaningful representation for the LGBTQ+ community. Overall, the character felt more than just a token effort, contributing authentically to the narrative.
The film succeeds in the majority of the comedy scenes as the actors play their parts wonderfully while also providing comedic relief at the right times. Taika Waititi is a popular director who previously directed “Thor: Ragnarok” and now “Next Goal Wins.” He injects his own fun style into the movie that avoids an overly serious atmosphere through colorful stylistic choices and specific character acting that subverts expectations. Critics may consider the style choice disrespectful considering the film covers an important historical moment, but it stays in line with the American Samoa philosophy of simply having
fun with the “The Beautiful Game.”
The overall plot of the movie, a disgraced coach looking for redemption through coaching a struggling team is very cut & paste and unoriginal. The only unique aspects are the parts focusing on Saelua, who was the first openly transgender woman to compete in FIFA.
Looking past some of the plot issues, the movie was enjoyable and had an inspiring story. There were comedic moments situated throughout the film, but it still delved into social issues without straying too
far from the main topic of the American Samoa national soccer team.