Refugee soccer doc seeks distributor

Josh Gloer’s documentary Chasing Goals is still looking for a distributor to reach theaters and streaming platforms. The film had its world premiere in September at the Gem Theater, where audiences gasped at emotional scenes. It follows Global FC, a youth soccer team made up of refugee boys living in Kansas City’s Historic Northeast.

Gloer, 47, began volunteering with Jewish Vocational Services in 2023 after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He learned about Global FC and its plan to compete in the USA Cup, the nation’s largest youth soccer tournament, held in Minneapolis. He spent months filming the team during practices at East High School and around the neighborhood. He stepped away from his true crime work for the History Channel to make the film.

The boys in the film grew up in African refugee camps where food was scarce. Life in Kansas City brings its own difficulties, including poverty and gun violence. Donat, a 15-year-old from Tanzania, said, “When opportunities come, you have to grasp on to them just like how you grasp onto your last breath if you were drowning.”

Gloer noted that some players wanted to return to their home countries. He said one boy told him he loved the camps and wanted to go back. Gloer was so shocked he had to dub his own voice in for that scene. He asked the boy if he would rather eat once a day there than live in Kansas City. The boy answered yes.

The filmmaker’s wife worried about safety during filming. Practices took place on a field that felt like an oasis, but a block away people were shooting at each other. Gloer drove the kids home through streets where people stood in the middle of the road.

Gloer returned to Kansas City from Los Angeles after 15 years in the film industry. His connections helped secure support from Trevor Noah’s production company, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Foolish Club Studios, and Wavelength. The team received a promotional boost during the city’s World Cup festivities. Despite this support, the search for a wide release continues.

Gloer said his daughter, who was about 9 years old, gave him the advice to make a film he actually liked. He watched the finished project with friends and family at the Current’s stadium before the official premiere. His daughter called the film awesome. The boys in the team also loved it. Gloer said he wants the film to be available for free so the players can show their friends. An extended trailer is currently available at chasinggoalsfilm.com.