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‘Ted Lasso’ Star Cristo Fernández on Trial to Join USL Team

“Football is life!”
Madison Williams|
Cristo Fernandez is attempting to play in the USL.
Cristo Fernandez is attempting to play in the USL. | Fernando Leon/Getty Images

Football is life!

Cristo Fernández, who plays the beloved character of Dani Rojas on the popular Apple TV show Ted Lasso, is attempting to bring his soccer talents to the field outside of television.

Goal’s Tom Hindle reported on Monday that Fernández played for 30 minutes in a friendly game for USL Championship team El Paso Locomotive against New Mexico United on Saturday. El Paso is expected to make a decision about whether to offer Fernández a contract sometime this week.

Additionally, MIR97 Media reported on Monday that Fernández played for Chicago Fire II in a friendly game a few weeks ago, too. The 35-year-old is trying to make his soccer dreams come true.

Growing up, Fernández played soccer with hopes of making it to the professional level. At age 15, he played for the Tecos Fútbol Club in Mexico, but a knee injury halted his chances of playing collegiately. He instead studied acting at university in the United Kingdom. And, the rest is history.

The fourth season of Ted Lasso comes out sometime this summer, and it’s unknown what role Fernández’s Rojas will play in the upcoming season as the show will shift its focus to a women’s soccer team. Maybe we’ll see Fernández on the real soccer field soon instead.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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