Not a true-to-the-letter documentary but a truer-to-the-spirit film, “The Game of Their Lives” (2005) tells of a disparate group of young men who formed a national team when America’s global-level soccer prowess was anything but.
Sure, there are less preachy, more entertaining, better written and directed films about soccer. Still, this one shows how a miracle moment doesn’t just happen without integrity, self-belief, team spirit, tenacity, and the ability to dream big.
Against that backdrop, this film shows that, even unconventionally, experience counts; only then, does it someday become expertise.
U.S. veterans added steel to their team’s attack and defense. Their soldiering had toughened them, even in years when they couldn’t play. Frank “Pee Wee” Wallace had been a German prisoner of war. Frank Borghi had a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Harry Keough had been in the Navy. They weren’t about to be cowed down by repeatedly losing possession of a ball on a soccer pitch.
Team uniforms in the film are presented to them by no less than a U.S. military general. That’s the significance the nation attaches to their participation; never mind the outcome. The men rise to meet those expectations.
How to Play
Here, American amateurs go up against English professionals. The players are ordinary people, doing extraordinary things. In the first half of the game, it’s an amateur who sets up the sole, and decisive, goal. A dishwasher, who barely got time to practice, scores it.After halftime, as the game hurtles to a close and England’s attackers try to shatter U.S defenses, it’s a man from a family of undertakers who protects the U.S. goal. Reporter Dent McSkimming covers soccer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His voice tells much of the story of these men; he says their world revolved around hard work, family, food, soccer, and the church.
Inconsolable, after being defeated in one warm-up match, Borghi walks back to the team’s hotel instead of boarding their bus, seeing that loss as a personal failure. His teammates hop off and walk alongside him, silently, sharing responsibility. When he fends off a rival’s goals, they don’t hesitate to share in his success as a team. They’re not about to leave him alone to bear the burden of his failure. Team spirit calls for more than fixing responsibility, it calls for sharing it, too.
Those recruiting for the U.S. World Cup team tell young hopefuls that they’re less interested in how many goals a team scores, but more in individual play and how individuals make their teammates play better. Some, like Charlie “Gloves” Colombo, figure that fouling will compensate for lack of skill.
But Borghi warns against assaulting rival players under the pretense of a tackle, “Play the ball, not the man.” Coach Bill Jeffrey says, “It’s a gentleman’s game. Try to play like one.”
McSkimming hints at how contrasting approaches needn’t be conflicting. East Coasters play with discipline, precision, and finesse; those from St. Louis trust their instincts and improvisation.
Even in tryouts, regional teams transcend local rivalries and differences. They just want the best guys on the national team. Tempers flare. One player taunts Walter Bahr’s German origin, but he counters, “First and foremost, I’m an American.
Perhaps that’s the difference between personal recognition and being part of a great team.
