Random Rants on the Beautiful Game

In Goal!, the soccer crowd finally has a movie to embrace.

Santiago (played by Kuno Becker) shows his stuff on the streets of Newcastle. -- Photos courtesy of Touchstone Pictures --

-- Glen Foy in Goal! The Dream Begins

BRUSSELS (Friday, May 5, 2006) - It's about time. Finally there is a feature film about the beautiful game which gets it (mostly) right.

Goal! The Dream Begins opens in United States theaters next Friday, just in time to catch the buzz for the upcoming World Cup finals. No, this is not another Bend It Like Beckham chick flick, but a film which portrays the drama and excitement of the modern professional game. There have been a few decent soccer films over the years, but they all featured much different aspects of the game. Let's look at a few before we go further.

The 1981 film Victory was little more than a soccer version of The Great Escape, set during World War II, featuring Pele and Michael Caine as POWs who must assemble a team to play against the Germans in occupied France. The on-field action was almost believable until novice goalkeeper Sylvester Stallone stops a penalty kick from a top German player. That film did, however, capture some of the spirit of the game in one unforgettable scene; when the French crowd in the Paris stadium defiantly sang the "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem, much to the chagrin of their occupiers.

Fever Pitch, released in 1997, follows Arsenal supporter Paul (played by Colin Firth) who tries to strike a balance between his new family and his fellow Arsenal faithful, which up to that point had been his family. Most of the action here occurs off the pitch in the neighborhoods of London as the conflicted Paul sorts out his priorities. A humorous moment from this film is when Paul tells his girlfriend he cannot make any vacation plans until he knows the next season's schedule.

One remaining niche left to be covered was the modern professional soccer experience. Goal! fills this niche quite well.

In fine company: Kuno Becker (second from left) and co-star Alessandro Nivola (second from right) share a scene with Raul (far left), David Beckham (middle), and Zinedine Zidane (far right).

It tells the tale of young player Santiago Muñez as he moves from Mexico to Los Angeles, and onward, to a trial with English club Newcastle United. A dominant player in Los Angeles' recreational leagues, the youngster is discovered by English scout Glenn Foy (Stephen Dillane), who arranges a trial with Newcastle United. As an underprivileged Mexican immigrant growing up in a poor section of Los Angeles, Santiago seemed destined to follow his father's path in life: laboring at menial jobs earning just enough to support his family. A naturally gifted athlete, his talent on the field was wasted in the L.A. recreation league where he can only dream of playing at the professional level. To chase his dream, Santiago is torn between soccer and his family commitments.

Somehow (I won't spoil it for you), Santiago makes it to England to see if he can play his way onto the squad. This is where the film starts to shine, complete with all of the characters you expect; the enigmatic, but thoughtful coach, aptly played by Marcel Lures (who reminds one of Arsene Wenger), the sleazy agent, the groupies, a likeable assistant coach, serious veteran players, the hot new signing with the playboy lifestyle, and of course a young player on trial for a place in the club -- Santiago Muñez

Santiago is played by Mexican TV and film star Kuno Becker. He is best known as the brooding rich son in the hit show "Soñadoras," a role that propelled him to teen heartthrob status to adoring fans across the U.S. and Latin America. While Becker had played some soccer previously, he underwent an intensive training regimen in order to convincingly play the on-field sequences.

A number of star players such as David Beckham, Raul, Zinedine Zidane, and Alan Shearer make cameo appearances, including one when Shearer unwittingly shows Santiago the difference between a veteran pro and a young trialist. One even sees United States men's Fulham defender Carlos Bocanegra in a shot or two.

Santiago and love interest Roz Harmison (Anna Friel) share a quiet moment together.

What soccer purists might appreciate most is the work of football consultant and choreographer Andy Ansah. Ansah's experience combines 12 years of experience as a professional player in England where he played for teams such as Gillingham, Leyton Orient, and Brighton. More recently, he worked for six seasons in various production positions on the highly successful British soccer-based TV drama "Dream Team."

Perhaps the real star of the show is Saint James Park and its fans on game day. The eruption of the crowd when the Magpies score is simply electrifying. The excellent soundtrack featuring Oasis, Happy Mondays, Unkle, the Bees, and Kasabian is pure northern England.

The character of Glenn Foy, the former player and sometime scout who helps Muñez get his chance, reminds us of the many soccer coaches and scouts who find and cultivate the new talent which is so important to the constant renewal of the game.

The idea for the film came in 2002, when producers Mike Jefferies and Matt Barrelle were at the World Cup in Japan. New to the movie industry, they spent a year researching what it would take to make such film. "It seemed like a no-brainer to us," Jefferies explained. "If we could make a film that resonated on a dramatic level about this kid's story, and create something really engaging that has appeal beyond a sporting audience, so that it can cross over demographics, territory, gender. . . we'd have something really exciting."

Barrelle explains: "We wanted to use real teams because the fans really know what's going on, and football fans are obviously the most fanatic fans in the world. You can't cheat them. We didn't want to do that, and hopefully you'll see that on the screen."

You’re not in California anymore: Santiago gets his first taste of the English game (and weather).

When it came to club choice, the filmmakers opted for Newcastle United, a team based in a one-club town where players are big stars. The Toon Army, as Newcastle United supporters are known, often include people from well outside the United Kingdom. Another appealing feature is that Newcastle is set in the often cloudy and chilly northern England, which provided a strong contrast with Santiago's balmy hometown, Los Angeles.

The club agreed to participate in the film after the producers won the trust of Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd. "They knew we understood that their core activity is playing professional football games. We had to be completely respectful of that and work around it," he said. The film crew did not film players during training on days before a match and the Magpies manager had to agree to every facet of the filming.

The photography is outstanding, which is no surprise, since the UK's Sky Sports channel shared its prime camera positions with the filmmakers during actual Premier League matches.

For the soccer scenes in California, the production team worked with players from Hollywood United Football Club. "The Hollywood United Football club is made up of a lot of English footballers who live in and around L.A. They all congregate and come together," Ansah said. The film's director, 36-year old Brit Danny Cannon, was named the club's most improved player last year. He is best known as a producer and writer for the hit television series "CSI."

Unfortunately, the film perpetuates a few outdated (and tired) clichés about soccer in America. It is hard to believe that a dominant player in one of L.A.'s ethnic leagues would not be noticed by scouts from Major League Soccer, the United Soccer Leagues, the Mexican First Division or one of the many other entities known to have contacts in the area. Even the Mexican immigrant characters seem a little too caricatured, if not overdone. Also, what was with the cheesy marching band music as the teams walked onto the field at one of Muñez's games in California? Again, it all seemed a bit too cliché. The California phase of the film is set under the baking sun but it fails to shine as does the portion set and filmed in England.

Also, those who have followed the work permit sagas of various American players in England will wonder how young Muñez manages it all so easily once he arrives in Newcastle. Having gone through such a lengthy legal process to get his English work permit, one can only imagine how hard U.S. and Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Brad Friedel laughed at this detail.

It does, however, appear that the producers have a chance to keep improving the story since Goal! is just the first in a series of three films which follow Muñez throughout his career. Goal II: Living the Dream is already in post production and features Santiago transferring to play for Real Madrid alongside Ronaldo and under coach Rudi Van Der Merwe, played by Dutch actor Rutger Hauer. The final film, Goal III finishes the trilogy with Santiago appearing in the World Cup representing his country. Which country that will be remains to be seen. Portions of Goal III will be shot in Germany during this year's World CupFinals.

Despite a few flaws (which only soccer aficionados will notice), Goal! The Dream Begins sets a new benchmark for soccer films and is among the better sport films I've seen in some time. While the entire storyline feels predictable, the viewer probably won't mind since the passions and beauty of the game are so well portrayed. And with the World Cup at hand, it is a perfect time for both the soccer and non-soccer crowds to give it a look.

Chris Courtney is an expatriate American living in Brussels, Belgium