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Not-bad soccer drama plays out predictably By: TOM MEEK5/9/2006 5:50:17 PM 
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GOAL!: The dream begins, and it ends like you'd expect it to
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Illegal immigrant Santiago (Kuno Becker) does his part at the bottom of the LA economic food chain. (Don’t expect this Disney flick to look too close at the politics.) He also has “God-given” soccer skills that get noticed by a visiting Brit with big-time football ties (Stephen Dillane). Against his father’s wishes, Santiago hops the pond for a tryout with Newcastle United. He flops, then gets a second chance, and a third. So goes his off-field life as well. Hack Danny Cannon (Judge Dredd) likewise gets his shot at redemption; he paces the emotions effectively, avoids obvious clichés, and masters the on-field choreography. Santiago is the problem: compared with his compassionate grandmother (Miriam Colon), the playboy superstar (Alessandro Nivola making the most of a juicy role), and his fair yet business-minded coach (Marcel Iures, who subtly steals every scene), he’s a dud. You know how this one plays out, and if that’s not enough, rest assured that two sequels are in the pipeline.
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