Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernandez is pursuing a real career in professional soccer after holding an informal tryout with a team in Texas.
Fernandez, who plays Dani Rojas in the fictional soccer comedy-drama, played 30 minutes in a preseason match for USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC over the weekend and could sign a pro deal in the coming week.
The Mexican actor, 35, trained with the club on Tuesday amid his desire to sign on a full-time basis, according to the El Paso Times.
Locomotive FC is not the only professional team he has been spending time with of late, nevertheless.
MIR97 Media also reported that Fernandez played with MLS Next Pro outfit Chicago Fire II earlier this year and even got on the scoresheet in a friendly match.
It is currently unclear if he will return in season four of Ted Lasso, which is dropping this summer.
Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernandez is pursuing a real career in pro soccer with a team in Texas
Fernandez, who plays Dani Rojas in the fictional soccer comedy-drama, played 30 minutes in a preseason match for USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC at the weekend
Before taking up acting, Fernandez played youth soccer in Mexico until the age of 15, before a knee injury that ended his career at the time.
The Guadalajara native played for Estudiantes Tecos – a now-defunct Liga MX squad – and worked his way through the third and second divisions prior to the injury.
He also played in Puerto Rico’s top division for Guayama FC, but after damaging his knee he eventually moved to the UK to pursue an acting degree.
Fernandez won a 2022 Screen Actors Guild award for ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series’ just two years after joining the cast of Ted Lasso.
He was also nominated for the same award in 2024, while earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Television (Comedy) at the 2021 Imagen Awards.
