“Goal! The Dream Begins” brings nothing new to a story about an underdog defying the odds to succeed in the world of professional sports. It is predictable and unrealistic, yet somehow extremely and undeniably entertaining.
Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) has wanted nothing more than to play soccer his entire life. Born in Mexico, Santiago grabbed only one thing from his room before his family illegally crossed the border to the United States: his soccer ball.
A decade after crossing the border, poverty stricken and without American citizenship, Santiago, his father (Tony Plana), grandmother and brother struggle to get by in Los Angeles. Santiago has two jobs, one cleaning pools and the other bussing tables at a Chinese restaurant. To scratch his itch to play soccer, he plays on a recreational team in his spare time.
During one of his games, Santiago is spotted by Glen Foy (Stephen Dillane), a former professional player and scout for Newcastle United, a Premier League team in England. Glen sees promise in Santiago, and quickly pulls as many strings as possible to land him a try out with Newcastle United.
Santiago’s father suspects Glen is an agent trying to make a buck at his son’s expense, and tells Santiago that there is no practicality in leaving the country to pursue unrealistic soccer dreams. He prevents Santiago from leaving by stealing his savings and purchasing a truck so the two of them can start their own pool cleaning business. Santiago’s grandmother comes up with the money to get him a plane ticket to England and gives it to him in secret.
His tryout turns out to be a harsh welcoming to the Premier League. He spends most of it with his face in the mud, falling flat on his back at his final chance to prove himself with a free kick. The coach sends him to the showers before the practice is over, officially ending his chances of making the team.
Once again, Glen pleads Santiago’s case to the team owner and grants him a month to prove he fits on the team.
The driving force behind director Danny Cannon’s movie is Santiago, who makes it easy to care about him from the start. Everything about Santiago screams underdog: He lives in poverty, his mother walked out on his family, he once belonged to a gang and he has asthma. While playing in Los Angeles, he has to use spare cardboard as shin guards. Santiago is a genuinely kind, honest person, making him someone who is easy to admire.
This is not a movie that ignores certain aspects of soccer like “Ladybugs,” or even “Bend It Like Beckham.” The people who made this film know their soccer. For example, games are not ended with last-second penalty shots, as injury time is taken into account. The American stereotype of soccer being less of a physical sport is ignored, as players throw elbows, sweep legs, throw opposing players to the ground and, of course, argue with the referees.
Aside from the basic standards that come with an underdog sports movie, Cannon throws in a few unexpected plot points. The father who discourages his son from following his dream is nothing new, but the anticipated apology from the father never happens. There has to be an arrogant superstar who is trumped by the rising star, but this film’s arrogant superstar takes a turn for the better instead of simply being thwarted by the rising star.
Unrealistic situations are a dime a dozen in “Goal! The Dream Begins,” but the impulse to care about the film’s characters makes those situations unnoticeable.
For those who need something to pump them up for this summer’s World Cup, this film might be the perfect way to awaken the soccer fan within.
