USL Championship club confirms Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernandez could receive pro contract

Tom Weber

• Updated: 3 Mar 2026 08:36 CST
• 4 min read

News

USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive have confirmed in a now-deleted statement that actor Cristo Fernandez is on trial with the club and that he is playing for a contract.

Over the weekend, fans of the second-tier side spotted Fernandez training with the club, which caused widespread surprise. It was later revealed by fan podcast Seriously Loco that the Mexican actor could actually be signed in a playing capacity.

Fernandez, who is best known for playing the popular Dani Rojas character in the Apple TV show Ted Lasso, has been a lifelong soccer fanatic. Football was his first love, and he played in the academy of former first-tier club Tecos in his native Guadalajara as a teenager.

Serious injury forced him to give up on his dream of going pro, and he pivoted to acting as a result. However, it is becoming increasingly realistic that he could belatedly start a soccer career at age 35.

Following a report from journalist Tom Hindle, who had it confirmed to him by a club source that Fernandez played 30 minutes in a friendly against league rival New Mexico United on Saturday, El Paso released an official statement, which has since been deleted for unknown reasons.

El Paso confirm Fernandez trial

"We are excited to have Cristo Fernandez with our first team as a trialist," the statement read. "He saw 30 minutes of action in our 4-1 friendly victory over New Mexico United this past weekend. An official decision regarding his long-term status with the club will come at a later date."

Fernandez, clearly, has not yet been officially signed, but it seems as though there is a realistic chance of it happening. Whether he would actually see regular action in the upcoming USL Championship season - the start of which is currently in doubt - is a different question.

The aforementioned Hindle has revealed that Fernandez also featured for the reserves of MLS franchise Chicago Fire last month. He understands that El Paso are planning to make a decision on the 35-year-old before the week is out.

If signed, Fernandez would be the oldest player in Junior Gonzalez's squad. One-time Mexico international Arturo Ortiz and compatriot Tony Alfaro, a long-time MLS centre-back, are the oldest players in the team at present, at 33 and 32, respectively.

El Paso finished fourth in the Western Conference last season but fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs, losing to Phoenix Rising. They have yet to win major silverware since their inaugural season in 2019, though they did reach the conference final in their first two years of Championship play.

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