'U.S. Against The World: Four Years with the Men's National Soccer Team' Review
- Juli Horsford
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Mini-Docuseries.
Release Date: 05/12/26 [HBO Max]
Runtime: 300 minutes.
The Verdict: A Must-See
It’s difficult to not get swept up by the mounting fervor that comes once every four years when the FIFA World Cup brings the world together for the biggest soccer tournament on the planet. Historically, the U.S. men’s team has been underwhelming. In 2018, they failed to even qualify for the tournament. In 2022, the team made it out of the group stage but was knocked out in the round of 16 by the Netherlands. It was a decent result after the failure to qualify four years earlier.
As the team’s profile rises, it seems the stars have finally aligned for a documentary that focuses on U.S. men’s soccer. There’s a proven track record with documentary series that focus on sports that aren’t quite in the mainstream of U.S. culture—Formula 1: Drive To Survive and Full Swing (golf) are the most recent success stories. U.S. Against the World hopes to tap into the World Cup timing and the up and coming men’s national team players to reach a new audience.
Produced by Park Stories and led by Rand Getlin and Janina Pelayo, the five episode series follows the U.S. men’s national team for four years. The first episode begins with former head coach Gregg Berthalter leading the team in the 2022 World Cup. We get acquainted with the players from that team like Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic, and Weston McKennie. Over the course of the series, coaches and players come and go. We see the team celebrate wins and mourn losses, work through practices, and attempt to balance the demands of playing for the national team with spending time at home with kids and spouses.
The documentary works so well because we get to know each player as an individual. The series documents their personal struggles and the sacrifices they make to play for their country. When Pulisic is criticized by the media for his decision to sit out some games, we see how much it affects him. When Tyler Adams gets injured, we see him working to get back on the pitch. When a new coach is brought in, we see the emotions pulsing through every member of the staff and team. This documentary comes out at the perfect time as the World Cup kicks off and the U.S. team tries to have a breakout tournament. It gives newbies to soccer and diehard fans alike the chance to get to know the U.S. men’s national team on and off the pitch.
