It is an unflinching portrait of an invisible class of elite athletes redefining what it means to chase gold in a sport most of the world has yet to discover.
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at a defining moment in their history and in the lives of five athletes who embody its heart and soul: Natalie, Jordan, Drew, Zach, and Riley. It’s a story of love and loss, revenge and resilience, and the messy pursuit of greatness in a world built for the non-disabled.
In a sport designed for them, with custom power wheelchairs engineered for competition, they tear across the court and pound the ball into the goal using a joystick and centripetal force. These athletes find freedom in movement and power in competition, and command the international stage to amplify their fight for recognition and equality.
After a crushing upset at the 2017 World Cup, the scrappy U.S. team struggles to rebuild. When the U.S. Soccer Federation steps in, the athletes become paid professionals overnight, ushering in new resources, higher expectations, and mounting pressure. Just weeks before the 2023 World Cup, tragedy strikes with the sudden loss of a teammate.
In Sydney, the team clashes with rivals and rallies to fight their way into the semi-finals. The question remains: will they find redemption and capture the world title?
This could be Natalie Russo’s final World Cup and the end of a nearly 25-year career. Often referred to as “power soccer royalty,” her family helped establish the sport in the Midwest in 2003. Natalie and her partner Jordan fall in love, get married, and buy a house together. They confront the daily challenges of navigating an inaccessible world with resilience and humor.
Known as “The Surgeon,” Jordan is a fierce competitor and an MVP on the U.S. Power Soccer National Team. Off the court, Jordan and his partner Natalie share a life defined by love, resilience, and advocacy. Together, they push the boundaries of a world built for the non-disabled.
Zach is brash and sarcastic. He’s the player you want on your team, but fear playing against. As his disease progresses, he finds himself too weak for wheelchair basketball, yet not “disabled enough” for power soccer, which threatens his position on the team. Rather than retreat, Zach channels his energy into building the first collegiate power soccer program at Auburn University to usher in a new generation of young disabled athletes.
Drew Cunningham plays with a ventilator on the back of his chair. He may be the physically weakest on the court, but he plays a relentless hard-nose style of soccer. After a sudden hospitalization, Drew returns to the pitch determined to secure the final spot on the roster. A month before the World Cup, Drew dies unexpectedly, leaving a profound void in the team.
Riley Johnson is a legend in international power soccer. At home he is a mechanical engineer designing complex manufacturing systems. When the team rebuilds, Riley is humorously reluctant to step into the role of team captain. With the World Cup approaching, Riley must discover the kind of captain he needs to be to lead the team to gold.
Andrew Hida is a documentary director, editor, and cinematographer based in Los Angeles, CA. His work is recognizable by the intimacy in his storytelling that draws out the deeply personal and emotional complexities that make us human. Formal training in photojournalism shapes Hida’s approach to non-fiction storytelling, while his background in life sciences and conservation ecology inspires the projects he pursues.
Jessey Dearing is a Seattle-based cinematographer, director of photography and film editor. He regularly contributes to projects and stories for The New York Times and Vice News Tonight, and was a director of photography for National Geographic’s flagship series Explorer. He was a lead DP in launching Upstanders, a multi-season documentary series produced by Starbucks.
Sebastian Lletget is a first generation Argentinian-American soccer player, investor and philanthropist, currently playing as a midfielder for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. After signing his first big contract, Sebastian made his first investment in PATH water in 2019. In 2020, Sebastian was named the first official ambassador of the United States Power Soccer Association, helping to bring more awareness to the sport and its athletes. More than an athlete, he is humble, determined, and real.
