Next Goal Wins
In 2001, American Samoa, an island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, played an official football match against Australia. The match went disastrously for the Samoans: they lost 31-0 - a huge blow to the proud islanders. Some ten years later, the Football Association wants to get the sport back on track and hires a Dutch football coach: the hot-tempered but washed-out Thomas Rongen. The islanders are charmed by him, but not much progress is made in the game. With an eye on the important qualifier against neighbouring Tonga, the most important thing is to score at least one goal.
Losing a football match 31-0 was and is a notable news event. In 2014, this defeat, the biggest in the history of football, was the subject of a British documentary by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison. New Zealand director Taika Waititi has adapted that story into a feature film, an utterly charming comedy starring Michael Fassbender.
