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| Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos |
"Once
in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos" is a
documentary about the rise and fall of the New York Cosmos, who at one point
drew in bigger crowds than the New York Giants and New York Jets of the NFL.
The
documentary discusses how the signing of Pele ushered in an era in which soccer
drew massive crowds and made the New York Cosmos one of the most well-known
clubs in the world.
It also
discusses how Pele's retirement led to huge financial difficulties and played a
big role in the downfall of the Cosmos, as well as the whole North American
Soccer League.
The movie
has earned fairly solid reviews on IMDb, Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, and is
a must-watch for an fan of American soccer and its history.
 |
| Kicking It |
"Kicking
It" follows the lives of seven players as they set off for Cape Town,
South Africa to play in the Homeless World Cup, showing the impact the
competition has on the players and how it helps them out of the turmoil in
their respective lives.
Colin
Farrell, who's dad was actually a footballer for Shamrock Rovers in Ireland,
narrates the film. It received excellent reviews at the Sundance and Tribeca
film festivals and was subsequently distributed by ESPN through Liberation
Entertainment and Netflix.
 |
| Escape To Victory |
In Victory,
a group of Nazi officers come up with a propaganda event in which an All-Star
Nazi team plays a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War in a soccer match.
The prisoners agree, planning on using the game as a means of escape from the
camp.
Sylvester
Stallone, Michael Caine and Max von Sydow all have major roles in the movie.
Pele and Bobby Moore also act as two of the players on the POW team in the
movie.
With a
star-studded cast like that, what excuse could you possible have to miss out on
this football classic?
 |
| The Damned United |
The Damned
United is a movie about Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of Leeds
United. It follows the rivalry of Clough and Don Revie (Leed's manager prior to
Clough, who moves on to coach England).
Michael
Sheen does an excellent job of portraying Clough as a brilliant but eccentric
man. The movie has received wide acclaim, and has received some of the highest
online ratings of any of the movies on the list, earning a 94 percent on Rotten
Tomatoes and 81/100 on Metacritic.
 |
| The Two Escobars |
The Two
Escobars tells the story of two Colombians: One a football player, the other a
drug baron. The player, Andres Escobar, led the Colombian national team to
unprecedented heights on the soccer pitch, and helped make Colombia a dark
horse at the 1994 World Cup.
The drug
baron, Pablo Escobar, led Colombia into a war on the streets as rival drug
cartels fought a bloody battle for supremacy.
This documentary tells the tale of two men
whose lives crossed paths, and changed a country, national team and sport
forever. The documentary is riveting, emotional and powerful. It’s a must-see.
 |
| Pelada |
There are
few soccer documentaries that are as enlightening and inspirational as this
one. Pelada is a documentary following Luke and Gwendolyn, two former college
soccer stars who didn’t quite make it to the pros.
Not ready
for it to be over, they take off, chasing the game. From prisoners in Bolivia
to moonshine brewers in Kenya, from freestylers in China to women who play in
hijab in Iran, Pelada is the story of the people who play.
It’s the
type of documentary that will inspire you to pick up a ball immediately after
the end credits finish rolling. It’s a joy to watch, and a must-see for any
soccer fan.
 |
| Orient For A Fiver |
Film
student Jo Trehearne’s brilliant fly-on-the-wall documentary about East London
club Leyton Orient. The 50 minute film follows the club during the disastrous
1994-95 season when they finished bottom of League Division Two (third level).
John Sitton
the co-manager together with Chris Turner, holds a series of hairdryer tirades,
but to little avail. The club also struggles off the field to keep afloat with
crippling financial constraints and a hapless squad.
Also has one
of the best team-talks you’ll ever see, no tea cups just John Sitton at his
best.
 |
| An Impossible Job |
‘An
Impossible Job‘, centred around the failure of Graham Taylor‘s England side to
qualify for USA ’94, falls just short of the mark set by the cinematic epic of
the following year.
However,
the way in which it prompts the viewer to re-assess Taylor as a man, then the
manner in which he was treated by a blood-thirsty media, makes it a fascinating
piece of television nonetheless.
Of course,
it also spawned the memorable phrase “Do I Not Like That“, which has become
part of English sporting folklore.
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