{"id":1471,"date":"2026-05-12T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/2026\/05\/12\/how-u-s-against-the-world-filmmakers-got-u-s-soccer-to-agree-to-a-four-year-long-documentary\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:00:00","slug":"how-u-s-against-the-world-filmmakers-got-u-s-soccer-to-agree-to-a-four-year-long-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/2026\/05\/12\/how-u-s-against-the-world-filmmakers-got-u-s-soccer-to-agree-to-a-four-year-long-documentary\/","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018U.S. Against the World\u2019 Filmmakers Got U.S. Soccer to Agree to a Four-Year-Long Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\t \t \t\t<\/svg>\t\tLogo text<\/span> \t<\/a> <\/p>\n

\tRand Getlin and Janina Pelayo admit they knew \u201cnothing\u201d about soccer<\/a> before embarking on the ambitious U.S. Against the World<\/a><\/em>, pronounced \u201cUs Against the World.\u201d They had four years (and 300 production days) to learn the game. <\/p>\n

\tThe HBO<\/a> documentary series, which began following the United States men\u2019s national soccer team during the 2022 World Cup<\/a>, has not left the squad since. The five-part series premieres Tuesday at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max, roughly one month before the 2026 Cup kicks off<\/a>. Episodes will come out weekly. Though the season is wrapped, the cameras have yet to be clicked off. If the producers have their way, they\u2019ll never be. \t<\/p>\n

\tHBO carries the option for a second season, and Getlin and Pelayo believe they\u2019ve created \u201ca forever franchise,\u201d in Getlin\u2019s words. Season two of U.S. Against the World<\/em> feels like a slam dunk<\/s> free kick \u2014 the final roster selections, as well as the World Cup itself<\/a>, won\u2019t be a part of this first season.<\/p>\n

\tJudy Matthew, the vice president of media for U.S. Soccer, says the organization is down to do much more.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis is a really important part of connecting with our fans, of getting them to see the human side of our athletes,\u201d she told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>. \u201cThat goes for both the men and the women\u2026 we\u2019d love to continue to grow in the premium content space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tGetlin and Pelayo, the married couple who launched production company Park Stories in 2017, actually tried to get this project off the ground in 2020 in time for the \u201922 World Cup. At the time, there were no takers.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe believed before the market did,\u201d Getlin said. \t<\/p>\n

\tSo they gambled on themselves, and in May 2022, Park Stories went camera-up on what would become U.S. Against the World<\/em>. They were in the right place (London) at the right time (November 2022) when Team USA made the round of 16 for just the seventh time in history. Though the U.S. men had also advanced beyond the group stage in 2010 and 2014, it didn\u2019t even qualify for the 2018 World Cup, which probably explains why the earlier pitches were passed over.<\/p>\n

\tIn September 2022, seven months into production, Matthew joined U.S. Soccer and became the project\u2019s biggest cheerleader, but not its only one. Getlin and Pelayo had a secret weapon up their sleeves: Tyler Adams. The U.S. men\u2019s team captain, with whom they previously collaborated on Quibi (R.I.P.) series Prodigy<\/em> (2020), vouched for their quality of work and process, becoming a \u201cmassive validator\u201d for the project.<\/p>\n

\tWhen Adams speaks, those around him listen. That\u2019s one of the reasons why he\u2019ll wear the armband this summer. The other is his national pride.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cYou talk to NBA players, you\u2019re like, \u2018What\u2019s the most meaningful thing in your career?\u2019 \u2018Man, I want to win an NBA championship,’\u201d Getlin said. \u201cYou talk to these guys on the World Cup squad, you\u2019re like, \u2018What\u2019s the most meaningful thing for you?\u2019 \u2018Man, I just want to play for my country. I love my country.\u2019 So it\u2019s rad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThough Adams backed Getlin and Pelayo to his 25 teammates (and their families) and the 33 coaches and staffers, there were so many more people and organizations that required convincing. All told, Park Stories had to negotiate with 48 entities for footage and filming rights. \t<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe rights maps were hard, the logistics were hard, the production schedule was hard, and trying to do things really well and to be ready for when the story changes over four years is insane,\u201d Pelayo said. \u201cI don\u2019t know anybody that would sign up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIt was also expensive. Licensing alone was \u201cdefinitely well in excess of seven figures,\u201d Getlin said. <\/p>\n

\tThe \u201cbiggest bet\u201d they made here, he said, \u201cis that the sport of soccer in America is just getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMatt Turner, the U.S. men\u2019s team goalkeeper, hopes so too. <\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt\u2019s hard to compete with all the other sports leagues in America,\u201d Turner told THR<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\tThis is one way. A high-profile documentary series on a premium network like HBO is \u201ca way to open the door to Americans in general,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey don\u2019t have to know soccer to fall in love with the players.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThat has already happened with the hit Netflix documentary series Full Swing<\/em> (golf) and Formula 1: Drive to Survive<\/em> (open-wheel racing). Niche sports (in the U.S.) and their athletes can become mainstream stars through good storytelling. Millions of viewers flock to premium television for high drama, and the World Cup has no shortage of that.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
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\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

\t \t\t\t\t\tMatt Turner #1 of the United States warms up prior to the International Friendly match between United States and Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/span> \t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJared C. Tilton\/Getty Images<\/cite> \t\t\t\t\t \t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\tTurner, like Adams, is ready for his closeup because he\u2019s been here before. Turner\u2019s wife, Ashley, a former New England Patriots cheerleader, starred on Married to the Game<\/em>, a WAGS<\/em>-type series on Amazon Prime Video in England. Though the reality show primarily focused on the spouses of star athletes, Turner grew used to hosting cameras, microphones and producers in his house. \t<\/p>\n

\tGetlin and Pelayo were a lot less intrusive.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThey always felt like part of the family,\u201d he said. \u201cEven to this day, I feel really comfortable opening our doors to them. Even if it had nothing to do with the show, we would trust in them to be friends and confidants and all that kind of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe best thing for soccer in America (and the future of U.S. Against the World<\/em>) would be a stellar performance from Adams, Turner and the boys this summer. (The women\u2019s team is far more accomplished, having won a record four World Cups. The men have never won \u2014 their best finish, third place, was nearly 100 years ago.)<\/p>\n

\tExpectations, internally and externally, are high.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe have an incredible degree of faith\u201d in the team, Getlin said when asked for a prediction. \u201cI think that they are going to make the country proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI wouldn\u2019t bet 300 days on anybody else but Team USA,\u201d Pelayo added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Logo text Rand Getlin and Janina Pelayo admit they knew \u201cnothing\u201d about soccer before embarking on the ambitious U.S. Against the World, pronounced \u201cUs Against the World.\u201d They had four years (and 300 production days) to learn the game. The HBO documentary series, which began following the United States men\u2019s national soccer team during the 2022 World Cup, has not left the squad since. The five-part series premieres Tuesday at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max, roughly one month before the 2026 Cup kicks off. Episodes will come out weekly. Though the season is wrapped, the cameras have yet to be clicked off. If the producers have their way, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[87,2,942,85,335,943,944],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hbo","category-hollywood","category-soccer","category-tv","category-tv-features","category-u-s-against-the-world","category-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsmag.live\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}