RJ Featherstonhaugh plays Nolan Gaillard, a tough Irish kid from the wrong side of the tracks in Montreal. He’s the troubled yet talented striker for the Montreal Thunder, the fictional team of our story. RJ was not only a gifted actor who reminded me of a young Willem Dafoe, but he was a phenomenal soccer player! He was probably in the top three of our players, whom we had cast from U-21 and university teams around Montreal. He tears up the screen with his co-star Clark Ba

Shooting soccer was the toughest challenge for me. In doing the research we looked at different film and sports series, such as Friday Night Lights and City of God among many others. We also looked at sports coverage of soccer and other sports. You quickly realize just how elaborate sports coverage has become in recent times. Cameras are everywhere, hovering overhead and set up in every possible configuration. It became clear we had to focus on story, and the inherent drama