“The next goal is victorious” - Taiki's film Waititi about how the worst team in the history of football almost hit the World Cup

The new coach from the United States forced the players to abandon McDonald's and prayed three times a day with the team

Taika Waititi - director of the films “Rabbit Jojo”, “Real Ghouls” and “Thor: Love and Thunder” - shot the painting“The next goal - victorious” with Michael Fassbender and Elizabeth Moss in the lead roles. The premiere was supposed to pass in the fall of 2022, but due to the crossing it had to be transferred to November 2023. The film tells the real story of the national team of the American Samoa , which for three decades has been the worst in the FIFA ranking. But in 2011, it was led by a little -known American coach Thomas Rongen for an ambitious goal - to prepare a team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. "Medusa" tells how Rongen changed the life of Supreme football players - and inspired Taika Waitty to make his first film about sports.

The national team of American Samoa was considered the worst in the world for almost 30 years. But then I wanted to get to the 2014 World Cup

The first official victory, the national team of American Samoa celebrated in the year of its creation-1983. But the next 28 years, the team lost the match for the match. For example, the meeting with the Australian national team in 2001 ended with a score of 0:31. And from 2007 to 2011, the Samoans did not score a single ball. The longest series without defeats in the history of the national team is two matches. The best scorer of the country Ramin Ott in his career scored only three goals.

In 2011, representatives of the American Samoa (there is still just Samoa - the state independent of the States, located on the same island) turned to the leadership of the US Football Federation for help. They needed a coach who could first in history bring the national team to the World Cup - 2014 in Brazil.

The Federation advised 55-year-old Thomas Rongen. In the 1970-80s, he coached the American clubs "Fort Lleoderdale Straykers" and "Los Angeles Azectex" (the first closed in 1983, the second-in 1981). And after that he was the coach of the Di SI United club, performing in the Higher Football League of the USA and Canada MLS, Chivas USA (disbanded in 2014), as well as the American team up to 20 years.

Upon learning that the team that had not won almost 30 years wants to use it to get to the World Cup, Rongen decided that this was an interesting challenge, and signed a contract.

Arriving at the island, located halfway from Hawaii to New Zealand, Rongen discovered that in the new place there is no high -quality football infrastructure with which he was used to working, for example, modern stadiums. But I decided not to give up when I realized how much new wards love football. “They do not receive 150 thousand pounds [per week], like [the star of the England national team and Manchester United] Wayne Runi. They have only a passion for the game, ”the coach said .

He also found out that the most talented among his players was Faafafin Jay Saeloa.

In the culture of Samoa, the third gender officially exists. The boy from birth can be "appointed" by a girl

In a traditional self -ian family, gender roles are clearly divided: men perform hard physical work and score cattle, and women cook food, take care of animals, raise children and take care of the house. When there are not enough female hands, the newborn boy is “appointed” by a girl - such people call the Samoans Faafafin.

Having matured, Faafafin, as a rule, marry a man, marriages with women are a rarity. They never enter into a romantic relationship with each other. Faafafin is considered full members of society, they are not oppressed.

According to SBS News 2013 , in Samoa and American Samoa lives from one to three thousand Faafafin - with a total population of both countries, about 240 thousand people.

Giaya Saeloa is the first Faafafin in the history of the national teams. She began to engage in football at 11 years old. Before meeting Rongen, she more often went to replace, although she was a captain in her Utulei Youth club. However, the new coach immediately decided that Selois should act as the main defender.

“I am not worried about the race or gender. I consider her a player - and no one else. She was the leader of the team and our most rigid defender, ”Rongen later recalled .

It was not easy for the coach to work with players and local officials. But he managed to succeed

Rongen had only three weeks to prepare the weakest world national team for the first qualifying match of the 2014 World Cup against the Tongga team. At first, the coach was outraged by the unprofessionalism of the players, and those were the strict requirements of the new leader. Rongen described that period like this:

They pray three times a day - it interfered with our preparation. Another problem was obesity (the only McDonaldʼs on the island is one of the most loaded network among all restaurants in the world - approx. Medusa). The physical condition of this team was very bad, but I knew that in a short period of time I could change the situation.

Problems were created by local football officials. For example, the head of the football federation of American Samoa Tavit Taumua, without coordination with Rongen, changed the training plan to his taste, but in the end he insisted on his own. And filmmakers from the UK helped him in this.

Upon learning that the national team of American Samoa is preparing for the World Cup, Documentalists Mike Brett and Steve Jamison wanted to make a film about this. They flew to the island almost simultaneously with Rongen and began to fix every step on the camera.

The coach was not only not against it, but also took advantage of the situation when Taumois decided to intervene in his affairs: he criticized the official right in front of the camera and in the presence of the team. “You called me here so that the winning team came to the field. So don't interfere then! " Rongen cursed . He defended his training plan - and at the same time convinced the players more seriously to his requirements.

Three weeks later, on November 23, 2011, the match against Tongga took place-the first qualifying to the 2014 World Cup. And for the first time in 28 years, the worst team of the world won - with a score of 2: 1. Giaya Selois made a pass to the winning goal, and in the 90th minute she knocked out the ball, which flew into the empty gates of the Samoans. After the final whistle, Rongen jokingly said that Selois is not just the best player, but the “best woman of the match”.

According to the coach, realizing that his team won, he burst into tears as he had not cried since 2004 - since his stepdaughter Nicole, who died in a car accident: buried his stepdaughter:

When we won, I had the feeling that I had gained a spiritual connection with the ball, field, wind, Nicole, Gail (wife of Thomas Rongen, approx. Medusa). I realized that perhaps somewhere there is something more.

Victory incredibly rally a team and coach. Rongen finally became his Samoans - he even began to pray three times a day with the players. “I lost my daughter, but I had 23 other children,” said Thomas.

In the next match, the team tied with the islands of Cook (1: 1). In a decisive third match against neighbors - the Samoa team - only victory was needed. And Giaya Selois almost brought her to her team - but in the last minute she hit the goal of the gate with the ball, and in the counterattack the rivals scored a goal. American Samoa lost (0: 1) and did not pass on the World Cup.

And although the Samoans did not reach their goal, work with Thomas Rongen changed their life: for the first time in history, the national team rose in the FIFA ranking of 18 seats-from 204 to 186. This achievement was noted by the whole country, and the President of FIFA Zepp Blatter personally congratulated Jay Seloa, declaring it “the first transgender football player in the official FIFA matches”.

The goalkeeper of the national team Nicky Salapu - the one who in 2001 missed 31 goals from Australia - said to his coach after winning in the match with Tons: “Now I can die happy. I can look my child in the eye and say that I am a winner. ” And Rongen himself admitted that communication with the Samoans made him "the best man."

The documentary of the British directors about Rongen and his wards was loved by the audience and critics around the world

In 2014, the British Mike Brett and Steve Jamison released the documentary NEXT GOAL WINS (“The next goal is victorious”). The history of the Pacific football players touched spectators around the world, and on the aggregator of Rotten Tomatoes reviews, the film has 100% positive reviews from professional critics, many of whom called the picture the best film about football.

The famous British critic Mark Kermod wrote in his review for The Guardian:

It doesn’t matter if you like this game [football] or not (I don’t), this charming and spiritual documentary will make you root for outsiders and dream that all players are as modest, purposeful-and simply decent people.

According to the critic, he watched the film twice and for the first time he cried and “threshed the air with his hands”, rooting for the Samoans.

NEXT Goal Wins was shown at the leading festivals of the world, from BAFTA to Tribeca Film Festival. At the latter, he received a prize in the category "Best Documentary". A similar reward was awarded to the jury of the British independent film award of BIFA.

And in 2019, Variety reported that the director Taika Waititi will shoot the feature film “The next goal - victorious” for Disney.

Waititi added to the plot of the villain, cut out the scenes with Army Hammer and took the role of Jaya Seloa real Faafafin

In an interview with Taik, Waititi admitted that, having watched a documentary about the national team of the American Samoa, "he could not believe that he had never heard about this story before." “I did not shoot films about sports and wanted to try,” the director said.

However, the artistic picture does not repeat the documentary source word for word. So, Waititi decided that a real villain should appear in history:

We need some external force that threatens the team in order to give the plot significance. This is what I was taught in Hollywood: “Well, you can’t just have a story in which nothing wrong never happens to anyone.”

Who exactly will be an antagonist in the Waititi film is still unclear.

Michael Fassbender invited the role of Rongen Waititi, Elizabeth Moss played his wife Gale. In addition to Hollywood celebrities, the New Zealand actor with the Oscar Kaitley's Samoic Roots starred in the film as the head of the football federation of American Samoa.

According to the plan of Waititi, to realize the key heroine - Jay Selua - was supposed to be a real fafafin. In an interview with Variety, the director said that he did not even consider the civilian actors for this role: “It was vital. We would never have approached this differently. ” As a result, Faafafin named Kaiman found the role of Seloa Waititi - this is her debut in the cinema.

Another famous Hollywood actor - Army Hammer, as the head of the US Football Federation, was supposed to appear in the film. But in 2021, he dropped out of the project: for the official reason, due to employment, but perhaps Waititi refused to work with Hammer after several women accused the actor of harassment in 2021. Hammer was replaced by Will Arnett - the main character of the animated series "Horse Bojack" says his voice.

Waititi planned to present the “next goal - victorious” in the fall of 2022 - to the World Cup in Qatar. But because of the crossing, the schedule moved, so the story of Rogene coach and Samoans will be released only on November 17, 2023.

Alexander Tremasov