What Happened To Thomas Rongen After Next Goal Wins & The 2014 World Cup

Taika Waititi’s newest film, Next Goal Wins, tells the true story of a Dutch American football coach restoring inspiration and pride to the American Samoan National Football team, but what ended up happening to Thomas Rongen after the American Samoans finally succeeded? Though Michael Fassbender portrayed him on-screen, Thomas Rongen is a real person and football coach, whose life Next Goal Wins is based on. Rongen started his career in the 1970s as a football player, playing for Amsterdam FC and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. In the 1980s, he began coaching, leading to the true story of Next Goal Wins.

The plot of Taika Waikiki’s new movie Next Goal Wins begins in 2011 when Thomas Rongen gets fired from coaching the United States U-20 Men’s National Team because they didn’t qualify for the World Cup. Losing his job also had to do with his strict and aggressive style of coaching. Rather than leave football completely, Rongen took up the position of head coach for the notoriously bad American Samoan National Team. Though Rongen’s style couldn’t be further from the American Samoans’, the coach and team found a middle ground, and eventually, the team won a game, qualifying them for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

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Thomas Rongen Has Had Several Coaching Jobs After The 2014 World Cup

After bringing the American Samoan National Football team to victory in 2011, Thomas Rongen had a number of other jobs in the football field. Following his success with the American Samoans, Rongen became the director of TFC Academy, or the Toronto FC Academy, alongside Aron Winter and Bob de Klerk. After remaining in that position for two or three years, Rongen was named head coach of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2014, bringing him back to his Florida roots. The following year, he was fired alongside General Manager and President Farrukh Quraishi.

More recently, in 2016, Rongen became the head international scout at Bruce Arena for the United States national team program. In this way, Thomas Rongen has clearly been able to recover from his downfall with the U-20 United States National team. After miraculously helping the American Samoans, Rongen continued his work in football, taking on various roles of teaching and expertise. This shows Rongen’s skill in the football arena, but also the ways in which he matured and fixed his technique after his time with the American Samoans.

Thomas Rongen Became A Sports Commentator After Coaching

Nowadays, Thomas Rongen works as a sports commentator for CBS Sports and beIN Sports. At 67 years old, it makes sense that Rongen would stop doing hands-on football work and take a position as a commentator. There’s no doubt that his many years as a player, coach, and educator provide him with the skills to be a knowledgeable commentator as well. This latest moment in Rongen’s career is an opportunity to take stock of all the wonderful things he has done, especially with the American Samoans. Next Goal Wins is a perfect chance to appreciate Thomas Rongen and his career.