The latest episode of the “Daily Variety” podcast features Rand Getlin, director and executive producer of the HBO documentary series “U.S. Against the World: Four Years With the Men’s National Soccer Team,” as he reflects on the road to the World Cup and the growing popularity of soccer in the United States. Getlin, who previously worked as a longtime NFL reporter for NFL Network and other outlets, spent more than four years following the U.S. men’s national team as it prepared for the tournament set for June 11 through July 19 across cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Getlin’s path to the project began in 2018 after a chance encounter with U.S. men’s national team player Tyler Adams, shortly after the team failed to qualify for that year’s World Cup. That meeting inspired Getlin and his wife, producer Janina Pelayo, to launch a production company and pursue the documentary. The result became a five-part docu-series centered on the team’s journey, its setbacks and its ambitions. The series was filmed in a verite style and captures the emotional, behind-the-scenes reality of players working toward a historic goal: winning the first men’s World Cup for the United States.
In the interview, Getlin describes the project as both a professional leap and a personal turning point. He said the decision to leave his reporting career and build a production venture was driven by the desire to create something meaningful and worth the effort. He emphasized that the team wanted a story they could be proud of, not only in terms of creativity but also in the depth of the storytelling.
The documentary also highlights the broader cultural significance of soccer in America, especially as interest in the sport continues to rise. Getlin frames the story as more than a sports documentary, calling it a coming-of-age narrative and an emotional lead-in to the 2026 World Cup. He points out that the U.S. men’s team has never won the tournament, and that it often faces skepticism in parts of the global soccer world. Still, he says the series shows a group of young American players who are fully committed to making the country proud.
Getlin also points to the people around the players — including mothers, sisters, wives and youth coaches — as an important part of the story. He says the series captures a diverse group of athletes who come from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic experiences. According to Getlin, what unites them is stronger than what separates them, and that shared purpose gives the team its emotional power.
The U.S. women’s national team, by contrast, has already established a dominant World Cup legacy, with four titles in 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019. Together, both teams reflect the expanding profile of soccer in the U.S. and the growing attention surrounding the sport ahead of the 2026 tournament. The podcast is available on iHeartPodcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Variety’s YouTube Podcast channel and other platforms.
