'Next Goal Wins' movie is 'Ted Lasso' meets 'Cool Runnings,' with a Treasure Coast twist

Whatever else might be said about former Sewall's Point resident Thomas Rongen, he's not afraid of taking on a challenge.

After all, he agreed to coach the American Samoa men's national soccer team at a time when the South Pacific island was notorious for its futility in that sport.

Then again, if you believe one of the hilarious trailers for "Next Goal Wins," a movie from Searchlight Pictures due out in theaters Nov. 17, Rongen might not have had much of a choice.

American Samoa or unemployment line

After being fired as coach of the U.S. under-20 team, Rongen was given the option of unemployment ... or coaching a team that had never won a World Cup qualifying match and had experienced the worst defeat in the event's history, 31-0, at the feet of Australia in 2001.

The Dutch-born Rongen took the assignment, even though he admitted to knowing next to nothing about American Samoa.

"I didn't know where it was," he told me in an interview a few weeks ago.

Even though his initial reaction to the job offer was incredulous ("Are you serious?" the actor portraying him in the movie says), Rongen saw the potential to make something positive of the experience.

"It's a unique and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Rongen said in a 2011 interview with TCPalm prior to his stint with the team. "If you look in your own particular profession, coaching a senior national team is once-in-a-lifetime. Actually being a head coach in qualifying games to get to Brazil (site of the 2014 World Cup) is pretty special."

Building bridges across the Pacific

It was a bit of culture shock, on more than one level. In addition to coaching the U.S. under-20 team, Rongen had previously coached four Major League Soccer teams. He led one of them, D.C. United, to the MLS Cup in 1999.

While rugby and American football were popular in American Samoa, Rongen told me there was little interest in soccer. The island is small, with high rates of poverty, obesity and alcoholism.

"There aren't too many ways out," said Rongen, who now works as a color commentator for the Inter Miami MLS team.

Trying to bridge the cultural gap between Rongen and his players took a lot of work. For example, the coach went to church with his players "to show that I cared" even though he wasn't particularly religious himself.

"From a human standpoint, that was huge," Rongen said.

There were other mountains, literal and metaphorical, to overcome. To serve as the team's goalkeeper, Rongen turned to Nicky Salapu, who had been in goal during the team's infamous loss to Australia.

Salapu was working in Seattle as a lineman for AT&T when Rongen approached him about returning to the team. For Salapu, it was a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his son, who held him in low regard following the Australia loss.

"There were some real scars," Rongen recounted.

The team had other colorful characters, including Jaiyah Saelua, a transgender athlete who was transitioning to womanhood while she was playing. (When I asked Rongen how he thought that part of the movie was going to play in Florida's current political climate, he offered only a wry chuckle.)

To help inspire the team, Rongen took players to Matafeo Peak, site of a famous military battle where American Samoa had repelled an invasion by Tonga.

'Ted Lasso' meets 'Cool Runnings'

Coincidentally or not, Tonga was the team American Samoa needed to beat to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. No spoilers here, but Rongen says he's hoping everyone in the audience will cheer when the winning goal is scored in the movie.

For his part, Rongen seemed pretty stoked about the movie when I spoke with him. He described the film as "like 'Ted Lasso' meets 'Cool Runnings'." Rongen is portrayed in the movie by Michael Fassbender, whose previous film credits include "12 Years a Slave" and "Inglourious Basterds."

"It's one of those bad-ass moments when you find out who would play you in the movie," Rongen quipped.

Rongen lived in Sewall's Point from 2006 to 2013, which coincided with the time he spent coaching American Samoa.

While he lived in the area, he lent his coaching expertise to local youth teams, including FC Florida and Treasure Coast United, as well as The Pine School.

Kelly Hilton-Green, assistant head of school at The Pine School, said Rongen helped build a foundation for soccer success there, which has led to the boys' team winning back-to-back state titles.

"As a small school does, you take the help where you can get it," said Hilton-Green, head coach of the school's girls' team. "He (Rongen) was incredibly knowledgeable and had a way of passing that knowledge on to the kids."

Hilton-Green said he's planning to take his team to see the movie when it comes out.

"It's a great underdog story, which is what we have been for a while," Hilton-Green said.

A commanding presence on the sidelines

Tom Power, director of coaching for FC Florida, said Rongen was very enthusiastic and had a way of commanding attention with a loud whistle and a booming voice.

"He just had the kind of voice where people would stop and listen to what he had to say," Power said.

Paul Gibbons, former director of coaching for Treasure Coast United, echoed comments about Rongen's enthusiasm, and noted the coach's reluctance to accept mediocrity.

"He wouldn't suffer fools," Gibbons said. "He separated the wheat from the chaff. It was appreciated, if not at the time."

Which made me wonder how Rongen handled dealing with American Samoan players who weren't considered world class.

"He leaned on me a little bit," Gibbons said. "He asked, 'How do you deal with kids who can't kick the ball?' "

Gibbons' advice was straightforward: "Be yourself. Tell it like it is."

Gibbons said it was always easy to be completely honest with Rongen, because he's the type who's completely honest with others.

"He was a big inspiration to me," Gibbons said. "He still is. He's just a great guy. You don't meet many Thomas Rongens in life."

Handling a fictionalized version of reality

Although Rongen is a serious-minded coach, the movie will play him for a lot of laughs, if one of the trailers is any indication. As ABBA's hit song "Take a Chance on Me" plays in the background, the trailer alternately depicts Rongen slinging back drinks and slinging around chairs and coolers on the sidelines as he copes with the frustrations of working in a place where he's regarded as "a little lost white kid" at the mall who needs directions on how to get home.

I asked Gibbons how his old friend might feel about being portrayed in such a fashion.

Gibbons said the coaching stint was a learning experience for Rongen as much as it was for the American Samoan players.

"He became more empathetic," Gibbons said.

But can he handle being the butt of a few jokes?

"He doesn't have much choice, does he?" Gibbons replied.

This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay. Contact him via email at bfontenay@gannett.com or at 772-232-5424.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Ex-Sewall's Point coach offers life lessons in 'Next Goal Wins' movie