Intrigue

Family man Phil Weston, a lifelong victim of his father's competitive nature, takes on the coaching duties of a kids' soccer team, and soon realizes that he's also taking on his father's dysfunctional way of relating.

Phil Weston is a goodhearted loser who suffered throughout his childhood from his competitive overbearing sports-coach father, which has resulted in him inheriting that attitude, which affects his relationship with his less-than-athletic son. When he becomes coach of his son's soccer team, which has a poor track record, he strives to beat a rival team coached by none other than his father.—Tom Daly

Phil Weston (Will Ferrell) is an average person who had to endure his father Buck Weston's (Robert Duvall) over-competitiveness throughout his life and his upbringing has left permanent mental scars. When Phil was in his crib, Buck gave him a soccer ball to play with, aiming to make Phil a professional soccer player. Phil was not the athletic type even in college but continued to try sports just to please his dad.

Now Phil is middle-aged and married, with a young son named Sam (Dylan McLaughlin). Barbara Weston (Kate Walsh) is Phil's wife. Phil met Barbara on the track and field arena in college and they fell in love at first sight. Phil runs a small vitamin store, while Buck operates a chain of sporting goods stores. Buck already has 4 stores and is in the process of opening a 5th. Buck is neighbors with Mike Ditka, former American football player and coach, who irritates Buck for e.g. by mowing and cleaning his lawn (and blowing his leaves into Buck's lawn), exactly when Buck has company in his home.

Janice Weston (Musetta Vander) is Buck's 2nd wife and Phil's stepmother. Buck married Janice the same time as Phil married Barbara. They had sons on the same day. Buck was competitive even then claiming that his son Bucy is 7 pounds 7 ounces to Sam's 7 pounds 6 ounces.

Buck is coach of the Gladiators, the most successful little-league soccer team in the district. Sam is on the team, but to Phil's annoyance Buck keeps him on the bench, a humiliation he had also endured from him as a child. Buck plays his own son Bucky, who is very athletic and a prolific scorer. Buck eventually transfers Sam to the Tigers, the league's worst team. Buck says that he not just coaching soccer but is building men of the future. Sam is devastated to learn that his own grandfather traded him, but Phil tries to counsel him that now Sam would get more playing time on the field.

The other players on the Tigers are Mark Avery (Steven Anthony Lawrence) (Tigers #5), Hunter Davidson (Jeremy Bergman) (Tigers #9), Byong Sun Hogan-Jones (Elliott Cho) (Tigers #6), Connor Ryan (Dallas McKinney) (Tigers #1 and Goalie), Ambrose Hanna (Erik Walker) (Tigers #4), Jack Watson (Sammy Fine) (Tigers #8).

Ann Hogan (Rachael Harris) & Donna Jones (Laura Kightlinger) are Byong Sun's adoptive mothers. Jim Davidson (Jim Turner) "The Captain" is Hunter's father & Janet Davidson (Julia Campbell) is Hunter's mother.

At Sam's first game with the Tigers, their coach is absent. Apparently, the coach cracked under pressure even though they were just one game into the season. Rather than forfeit, Phil offers to coach them, a position he takes up permanently. Their first match is against the Buck's Gladiators and the Tigers are badly beaten on the field by 13 - 0. Buck offers to take Sam back, as that way he would be part of the winning team and would get a trophy, but Phil refuses. Phil does not want Sam to be a bench warmer.

However, despite Phil's best efforts, the team does not improve. Most of the boys are too demotivated to even take the field in a game. Desperate, Phil recruits Mike Ditka, Buck's neighbor and hated enemy, as assistant coach. Enticed by the opportunity to beat Buck, Ditka accepts the position. Despite grueling training, the team continues to lose.

Ditka introduces Phil to two exceptionally talented Italian brothers named Gian Piero (Francesco Liotti) and Massimo (Alessandro Ruggiero), sons of a local butcher. Phil convinces their uncle to let them play for the Tigers. They have an immediate impact, scoring repeatedly. The resulting winning streak makes the team a serious contender in the league. After finally winning a few games, Phil and Buck bet, if the Gladiators win the championship, Phil will sell his store and work for Buck. If the Tigers win Buck gives Phil his prized possession, 'The Pelé Ball', the soccer ball struck by the famous player which Phil caught as a child and Buck took from him.

Meanwhile, Ditka also introduces Phil to coffee, which rapidly changes him from a mild-mannered caring father to an obnoxious, egotistical, over-competitive coach, not that different from his father, abusing kids and parents alike. The team's mantra becomes "Get the ball to the Italians", which, though effective, demoralizes the team. In an ultimate over-competitive act, Phil benches Sam for the entire semi-final game. Furthermore, just prior to the game Ditka resigned as assistant coach due to Phil's unsportsmanlike behavior towards him (he was teaching the team to hurt the other team's players), the kids and the rival team.

In the finals the Tigers face off against the Gladiators. At half-time, the score is 2-1 for the Gladiators. In a heart-to-heart discussion with Sam, Phil realizes the error of his ways. He tells his team to do exactly the opposite of what he taught them. Although the Gladiators score one more goal after half-time, the Tigers do not give up hope. Phil gives the goalie a vision test with glasses from the crowd. From there, Ambrose scores one goal-making the score 3-2. After another goal, the score is tied. The team rallies and produces a spectacular team performance to win 4-3, with Sam scoring the winning goal against his uncle Bucky (Josh Hutcherson) (Buck's son from his second wife and Phil's younger half-brother, who was born on the exact day as Sam), using a move that he practiced when his dad benched him in the semi-finals.

Phil apologizes to Ditka for his earlier behavior, and Ditka accepts his apology. Honoring the bet, Buck tries to give Phil the ball, but Phil refuses. Making peace with his father, they merge their businesses, realizing there is more to life than winning.

The film ends with an adapted version of the "He's Got Balls" commercial originally produced by Buck. In it, the entire Tigers team appears, announcing the merger of Phil's vitamin shop-Phil's Pills-and Buck's Sporting Goods Store. The team shouts, after the "He's got balls" line, "And vitamins." Mike Ditka is last seen watching and criticizing the commercial.