"After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United" tells a much-needed story of unity

With so much happening that seems to be tearing the world apart, it seems more than appropriate to showcase the powerful documentary After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United for this week's #SoccerFilmFriday.

Produced by Roger Bennett of "Men in Blazers," After the Cup tells the story of Israeli club B'nei Sakhnin, which is based in the Arab town of Sakhnin, and the sense of unity brought on after they win the Israeli Cup.

Led by Arab star Abbas Suan, whose performances lead to a call up to the Israeli national team, the team’s success has an immediate and profound impact on the long-divided region, one that led former Israeli president Shimon Peres to say: "Sakhnin changed the relationship between Jews and Arabs in Israel."

But can the club and its young hero, both suddenly thrust under an international microscope, live up to expectations that go well beyond the field of play?

Watch the film, and then, please, let us know what you think via email, Twitter or Facebook. We might post your take on our channels.

"American Fútbol" is the soccer journey we all could use right now

Seven thousand miles. Eight countries. Four friends. One goal: Find the soul of fútbol.

Sounds nice, right? Yeah. To us, too. Which is why we have selected American Fútbol, directed by Peter Karl and Petar Madjarac, as this week’s #SoccerFilmFriday featured soccer film.

American Fútbol takes us on a four-month once-in-a-lifetime adventure through Latin America with a group of American friends as they discover the unique power of soccer to unite people and transcend sports. Like food and music, fútbol is their common language, and as they travel down through Central and South America, the crew use it to better understand and connect with their neighboring cultures. From Mexico to Colombia to Brazil, their adventures immerse audiences in the infectious passion and inspiring stories of the beautiful game.

“Soccer was our passport on this journey,” said director/producer Petar Madjarac. “It helped us cross the U.S./Mexico border, bonded us to a team once run by a Colombian drug cartel; introduced us to a blind soccer team in Bogotá, and explained how soccer impacts racism in Ecuador. This was the trip of a lifetime, and it showed us – and hopefully the viewers will see this – the power of soccer to be more than just a game.”

American Fútbol premiered at the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival in 2018.

Watch the film today on the following platforms:

• Tubi

• Amazon Prime

• Google Play

• YouTube

• Vudu

American Fútbol co-director Peter Karl (center) with FOX Sports personality Rachel Bonnetta (right) at the 2019 Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival in New York.

Watch "Soka Afrika," a powerful doc about player trafficking from Africa to Europe

It looks like live soccer is back with the Bundesliga starting up this weekend. It may look different -- no fans, etc. -- but at least it's live soccer. Woohoo!

Meanwhile, the soccer film world keeps turning. Netflix announced that they are developing a film about the 1999 World Cup-winning U.S. women's national team. This 2018 short doc Keane and Vieira: Best of Enemies hit our radar. And this week's #SoccerFilmFriday is the award-winning documentary Soka Afrika.

For most young soccer players in Africa, signing with a club in Europe is not just a dream; it's the only dream.

It is a hard dream to realize, with countless pitfalls, from unscrupulous agents to injuries, broken promises to family shame.

Soka Afrika, which won the Golden Whistle Award at the 2011 Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival, explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of player trafficking from Africa to Europe, as seen through the journeys of two young players, Kermit Erasmus from South Africa and Ndomo Sabo from Cameroon.

Netflix developing film about the 1999 US women’s national soccer team that won the World Cup

OK. We’re excited. Definitely excited. In fact, we’re excited enough to rip off our shirts, bare our sports bras, and drop to our knees.

In other words, Brandi Chastain excited.

Why? Because Netflix announced this week that they are developing a film about the legendary U.S. women’s national team that won the World Cup. The “99ers,” as the team has become known, included stars Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, Michelle Akers, and current U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, along with Chastain. Together, they captured the hearts and minds of America — and the world — with their thrilling style of play, their dedication to teamwork, and their sense of sportsmanship.

It all climaxed with their victory over China in the final, which was decided by a shootout punctuated by Chastain’s winning penalty kick and famous celebration.

The event accelerated the growth of women’s soccer and sparked vital conversations about the importance of women’s sports.

And now it’s getting the film it deserves. (We hope.)

The film will be based on Jere Longman’s book The Girls of Summer: The US Women’s Soccer Team and How It Changed The World, which we highly recommend.

This week's #SoccerFilmFriday movie is "Celtic Soul," starring Jay Baruchel + Eoin O'Callaghan

Well, we're still here. Sheltering at home, staying socially distant, and wearing masks, yes, but still keeping our spirits up. At the very least, we have great soccer films to keep us company.

For this week's #SoccerFilmFriday, we're featuring the hilarious and touching travel story, Celtic Soul, starring Jay Baruchel.

A celebrated actor and comedian, Baruchel has an obsession with a sport and a team — far from home, in another continent: he is a massive fan of Glasgow’s Celtic Football Club. And like millions of fans around the world, Jay defies crazy distances and time differences to get his fix of European football.

How did Jay’s own obsession begin — and what is it about football that inspires such fanaticism in every far-flung corner of our globe?

Celtic Soul follows Jay on an epic road trip with his new friend, well-known Irish soccer journalist Eoin O’Callaghan, to find out.

This is a story that spans 200 years of colorful history and that will take the duo eastward from Montreal to Westport, Ireland — from where Jay’s ancestors set sail for Canada, like so many others — and finally Glasgow, where Jay will fulfill a lifelong dream: to watch a match at Celtic Park, one of the wildest and most hallowed grounds in world football.