Team USA's 14-year unbeaten streak in flag football ends, thanks to American Samoa

Sometimes, the Globetrotters lose to the Washington Generals. And, sometimes, Team USA loses a competitive flag football game.

It has happened in Dusseldorf, Germany, at the 2026 World Flag tournament. The Americans lost for the first time in 14 years, falling to American Samoa, 38-32.

The loss comes less than two years before flag football debuts as an Olympic sport. And it undercuts the presumption that the USA has an automatic gold medal waiting for it in L.A.

Among the players for American Samoa is Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Taulia played college football at Alabama and Maryland. He also has played in the CFL and the UFL.

The role of a longtime tackle football player in taking down Team USA will do nothing to counter the notion that traditional football players, if given the time to learn the ropes, can dominate flag-football players.

It's actually good for flag football to have the USA not be so dominant. It shows that other countries are becoming competitive. The more competitive other countries become, the more interesting and exciting flag football will be.