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The upcoming movie Next Goal Wins, directed by Taika Waititi, is about Dutch-American coach Thomas Rongen. It looks to be another comedic gem as the football-based film follows the story of the American Samoan football team and how they rose through the ranks after the appointment of Rongen as their coach.
Based on a documentary of the same name, the upcoming film demonstrates how the American Samoan team went from being a hopeless, beaten group to a viable World Cup contender. Coach Thomas Rongen, who is in charge of the tiny South Pacific national squad, is portrayed in the film by Michael Fassbender.
Waititi's film gives a comical recounting of Coach Rongen's voyage and the team's experiences, in contrast to the documentary, which presented the narrative quite seriously. Mike Brett and Steve Jamison were the creators of the original documentary, which focused on coach Thomas Rongen.
Who is Thomas Rongen? - The Dutch-American football coach who is the focus of Taika Waititi's upcoming film Next Goal Wins
The film Next Goal Wins stars Michael Fassbender in the role of Thomas Rongen, the Dutch-American coach hired to take over management of the American Samoa national football team.
Thomas Rongen was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands on October 31, 1956. He pursued a professional football career in the Netherlands playing for Amsterdamsche FC as a midfielder and a defender. Before taking up coaching, he predominantly played in the North American Soccer League and the American Soccer League in the U.S.
He moved to the United States in 1979 and joined the Los Angeles Aztecs. Thomas Rongen played with the Aztecs during the whole 1979 campaign. After that, he started the 1980 campaign in Los Angeles. The Washington Diplomats acquired his contract from the Aztecs on July 12, 1980.
He went on to play for teams like the Minnesota Strikers, South Florida Sun, Houston Dynamos, and then the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Rongen retired from his professional playing career in 1993.
Rongen had already begun coaching football before he retired as a professional player. After coaching high school and college teams he became the coach of the Minnesota Strikers in 1989 and even led them to an American Soccer League victory.
When Major League Soccer was established in the US, Rongen was one of the first coaches in the league and coached the Tampa Bay Mutiny, leading them to a title in 1996. Rongen coached the United States U-20 men's football team and led them to World Cups before being appointed as the coach of American Samoa.
His time with the American Samoa team is the central plot of Taika Waititi's upcoming film Next Goal Wins. Rongen is a very respected name in the United States football (soccer) circuit and his legacy is one which will be forever remembered.
More about - Next Goal Wins
The central idea of Next Goal Wins is one of powerful redemption. The film highlights how self-belief may help people overcome adversity, and Lachlan Milne's cinematography perfectly depicts this idea. The film's narrative, which was written by Taika Waititi and Iain Morris, promises a typical Waititi rollercoaster.
Watch Michael Fassbender bring Rongen to the big screen as he leads the American Samoan football team to redeem themselves in the football world. The film is slated to release on November 17, 2023.
