Eric, a former football star and now coach for a Chinese league team, ends up in a small village after being falsely accused of corruption. A young boy saves him from near death in the desert and requests that in exchange he coaches the local team and takes them to the junior cup final. At first only preoccupied by saving his reputation, Eric slowly comes around and rediscovers his passion for football thanks to the young players.

When the World Cup landed in the U.S. in 1994, it arrived in a country with no league, no culture, and no clue. A ragtag group of players faced an impossible task: don't embarrass their nation in front of the entire world.