Netflix’s latest sports slate arrives with two sharply focused documentaries that promise to rewrite the story of the U.S. men’s national team. ‘Soccer’s American Dream’ traces the arc of a nation that once topped world rankings, while ‘U.S. Against the World’ offers an inside look at the squad’s recent campaigns, warts and all.
The first film unearths a forgotten era when the American Soccer League dominated global conversations in the 1920s, only to see the sport tumble into obscurity by the mid‑1930s. It resurrects the flamboyant NASL years, when Pelé graced the New York Cosmos and the league briefly flirted with worldwide relevance.
Criticism has never been far behind. In the lead‑up to the 2017 World Cup qualifiers, former U.S. star Alexi Lalas warned that the team was overhyped, a caution that still echoes in today’s debates about the so‑called ‘Golden Generation’.
The Cost of the Dream
Recent footage captures a low point: a surprising defeat to Panama in the Nations League that prompted Coach Mauricio Pocchetino to publicly question the side’s mentality. The loss became a flashpoint for broader doubts about the team’s progress.
Beyond tactics, the series humanizes the athletes, following players such as goalkeeper Matt Turner, defender Tim Ream and star forward Christian Pulisic as they juggle club obligations, personal sacrifice and the weight of expectation.
Financially, today’s squad enjoys contracts that dwarf the modest wages of earlier pioneers, yet the pursuit of respect remains a driving force. The documentaries argue that the modern era is defined as much by internal battles as by external triumphs.
Together, the two projects construct a narrative that reframes the U.S. men’s team not merely as underdogs but as a collective striving to shed past disappointments and claim a place among the sport’s elite.