At its best, international football is an anthropological experience. It’s a marriage of ethnicities and cultures on a field populated by humans moulded on the land they represent, celebrating all that makes them unique, whether that be the rhythm that flows through Brazil or in American Samoa, the worst international team in the world. Or at least they were until Thomas Rongen took the reins.
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In 2001, American Samoa etched their name in the history books with a record-breaking performance against Australia, losing 31-0 — the largest margin of victory ever recorded in an international football match. A decade later, they were ranked as the worst team in the world without a FIFA-recognised win in their history. Demoralised, uninspired and, frankly, terrible, American Samoa gratefully welcomed this “palagi” (the Samoan name for a white foreigner of European or American descent) on a three-week assignment to help them score a goal.
The Amsterdam-born Rongen who had moved to the U.S. in 1979 to play in the old NASL was fresh from failing to lead the United States’ U-20 men’s side to the 2011 World Cup.
“I watched quite a few games in their Pacific Games tournament, and nobody could play 90 minutes,” Rongen, 67, tells The Athletic. “Okay, I’ve got three weeks; that’s an area where we can improve. Technically and tactically, they were not well arranged. I thought I could make a few tweaks, but I’m not sure you can do anything big in three weeks.
“The most important part, where I gave the most thought, was the mental side. I knew I was going to walk into a team that had not won in their lifetime and was expected to lose. They talked about hoping not to lose by more than 10. There was also something beautiful about that, as well — these guys love and want to represent their country regardless.”
“Next Goal Wins”, directed by Taika Waititi and in U.S. theaters on Friday, takes us on an embellished journey through Rongen’s firing from his role with the U.S. national team (and his five stages of grief thereafter) and culminates with the winning goal as American Samoa recorded their first victory in any competition since 1983. The story is as much about the team as Rongen, played by Michael Fassbender, as he visibly carries the scars of the passing of his daughter Nicole until he is helped on a “spiritual journey” to contentment.
And while Saelua is depicted as the scorer of the winning goal in the film, the actual goalscorer was Shalom Luani, who eventually halted an international career on the pitch to fulfil his potential on the gridiron, later turning out as a safety for four NFL franchises.
It’s a story of how football, by embracing a different perspective, can empower a pioneer like Saelua, restore pride in Salapu and rescue a coach like Rongen, who wore a Virginia Commonwealth University cap in remembrance of his late daughter — who was a freshman on a soccer scholarship before passing in a car accident — during the win over Tonga.
“Thomas’ character kind of represents most Western people in many ways,” says Waititi. “We need to relax, accept, go with the flow and embrace island time. If you can do it, you can; if you can’t, it just won’t happen — try again tomorrow. I think a big part of all of that comes down to community. In the islands, you win together, and you lose together. One of my favourite parts of the film is when Thomas says, ”I can’t win,“ and Tavita (Kightly) says, “That’s cool, man, then lose. But don’t lose alone. Lose with us.”
(Photo: Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
