Prime Video Sports has released a brand-new trailer for their upcoming docuseries Good Rivals, which will chronicle one of international sports’ most passionate and unique rivalries between the Mexican and American men’s national soccer teams. The three-part series is set to premiere on Prime Video on November 24 with the new trailer airing in full tonight during the Thursday Night Football broadcast.
The new trailer showcases rivalry between the neighboring countries throughout the generations and features some of the best players to come from both teams as they tell stories of what it was like playing against each other. The trailer delves into Mexico’s domination in the 20th century, the drive to win that led to confrontations and injuries, and the passion that the fans brought to the games and how they affected them. The trailer also brings the rivalry into a modern context as it shines a light on how the outcome of the 2016 United States election turned the rivalry from a sporting context and introduced a political one. While the trailer showed off the divide between the two teams now, it concluded by pointing towards the next generation and how they will be able to keep the sporting rivalry alive put also bring not just the teams but the countries closer together.
Originally titled Good Neighbors, Good Rivals will explore the nearly century-old rivalry, with the first episode going all the way back to a 24-game losing streak for the U.S to Mexico from 1937 to 1980. America started to turn it around in the 1990s as they began to win big games, truly cementing the rivalry. Episode 2 will tackle the rivalry through the 2000s, including what is described as “the most important game in the history of the U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry” when the U.S beat Mexico 2-0 during the 2002 World Cup. The middle episode tracks the rivalry up to its climax in 2016 when Mexico was able to break the “Curse of Columbus” and beat the U.S in a World Cup Qualifying game. The final episode will look at the present and future as the two teams look towards a World Cup 2022 qualifier against each other as the next generation keeps the age-old rivalry alive. The “Good Rivals” will be brought even closer together as the two teams along with Canada are set to co-host the World Cup in 2026.
Good Rivals is executive produced by Skydance Sports’ David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, and Jon Weinbach as well as Meadowlark Media’s John Skipper and Deirdre Fenton; along with Dante Möller of Ocellated Media. Good Rivals is a co-production from Prime Video Sports and Skydance Sports, with Meadowlark Media and Ocellated producing. The series is directed by Academy Award-nominated Nicaraguan filmmaker Gabriel Serra, and will feature a wide variety of American and Mexican perspectives, with episodes accessible for both English and Spanish-speaking audiences.
Good Rivals will premiere on Prime Video on November 24. You can check out the new trailer for the upcoming docuseries as well as read its official description down below.
‘Good Rivals’ will peel back the political, social, and sporting layers of a rivalry that has become must-see TV over the past 30 years. Far more than just a sports documentary, Good Rivals spotlights the personal and professional arcs of stars from each nation, like Landon Donovan (United States) and Rafa Márquez (Mexico), who became symbols of their country’s cultures during their respective careers in the early and mid-2000s. Good Rivals will also examine the passionate, international battle for on-field talent and fan support that has made the U.S.-Mexico border one of the most fascinating soccer frontiers in the world, with players—and families—from both countries becoming the focus of recruiting battles between these two deeply interconnected nations.
