Ted Lasso actor's pro soccer career is a disaster - but there's a silver lining

Analysis

Tom Weber | Writer

Cristo Fernandez made his USL Championship debut for El Paso Locomotive at the weekend, but his professional soccer career has yet to take off.

The Mexican actor, best known for portraying the fictional character Dani Rojas in the hit Apple TV series Ted Lasso, fulfilled a lifelong dream this year when he signed for American second-division club El Paso.

The 35-year-old wanted to be a professional soccer player growing up and even spent time in the academy of Mexican outfit Tecos in his youth, but a serious knee injury derailed his dream and prompted him to pivot to acting instead.

His Ted Lasso fame ultimately allowed him to pursue his ideal job, albeit belatedly. In the winter, Fernandez trialled with the reserve team of Major League Soccer franchise Chicago Fire before moving on to El Paso.

There, he managed to impress in a friendly against rivals New Mexico United and, in May, was signed to a professional one-year deal after undergoing a two-month training regimen. It was only fitting, then, that his debut in the USL Cup came against New Mexico in July.

Fernandez isn't having an impact...

While the match against United was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream for Fernandez, there was ultimately little to celebrate. He played 16 minutes, had just three touches of the ball and received a yellow card as El Paso lost 2-0 and exited the USL Cup.

That was the last time he was seen until the end of September, when he made the matchday squad for the first time in the USL Championship. However, he did not get on the pitch as Locomotive drew 1-1 with FC Tulsa.

On Sunday, though, he did finally make his debut in league play. With several key players away on international duty, he came on as an 82nd-minute substitute against Lexington SC, but the circumstances once again did not warrant celebrations.

Coach Junior Gonzalez only turned to Fernandez because the game was already lost. El Paso were trailing 3-1 and had been playing with 10 men since the 24th minute after Arturo Ortiz was sent off for elbowing Phillip Goodrum in the face.

With El Paso having virtually no chance of salvaging anything from the game, the 35-year-old forward had the thankless task of harrying the opposition and trying to prevent them from easily playing through midfield. Fernandez was essentially just running around and chasing shadows.

Wing-back Ricardo Ruiz had the opportunity to play Fernandez into space but chose not to, perhaps not trusting him to be able to keep hold of the ball. Ruiz instead opted to play it safe in his own half.

Fernandez's first touch of the ball came in midfield in the 86th minute when he played a one-two with Daniel Gomez that led to nothing. He then won a free kick in his own half in the 89th minute, before getting barged over again in the 93rd minute on the edge of his own box.

The latter was not deemed a foul and showed that a 35-year-old actor may not have the physique to compete with professional soccer players. That shouldn't be entirely surprising.

Moments later, he had his second touch - again in his own half - and won another free-kick, followed by a third free-kick in the 95th minute, this time just inside Lexington's half. Nothing came of it, and that was all she wrote.

To recap, Fernandez has now played a combined 26 minutes of professional soccer across two games and touched the ball five times. His impact has been minimal. Again, this isn't totally surprising. He is 35 and not a professional athlete.

...but there's a silver lining

The positive news for Fernandez is that, while he may not play a lot this season, he could end his pro soccer experiment with silverware. Following their elimination from the USL Cup in July, El Paso went on a tear in the Championship, winning eight games on the bounce.

This incredible run of form catapulted them to the top of the Western Conference standings, and they have not only clinched a playoff spot already, but they could still mathematically win the Players' Shield as the team with the best regular-season record.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies were the runaway Shield leaders up until August, but their lead at the summit of the standings has melted away because they have been dropping points in recent games.

Had El Paso managed to beat Lexington, they could have closed the gap to within two points after the Rowdies lost their Florida clash with Miami FC. Having failed to do so, Locomotive have three games left to make up a five-point difference.

The chances of this happening are slim, despite the Rowdies' tricky next games. They first travel to the Indy Eleven, who are still fighting for a post-season spot, before hosting second-placed Detroit City in a rematch of a feisty 1-0 defeat in late August, which started Tampa Bay's run of indifferent form.

The Rowdies' final regular-season game is at home against expansion side Sporting Jax, who are rock-bottom in the East. That should be an easy win for Dominic Casciato's team. Meanwhile, El Paso's schedule is arguably even more challenging, making a late Shield charge almost impossible.

Locomotive face Orange County and Sacramento Republic, who are both looking to clinch their playoff spots, and then finish the regular season against rivals New Mexico. It's probably fair to say that El Paso won't win the Shield.

However, they have already booked their spot in the postseason, where anything can happen. They will be among the favourites to win the championship - unless they get decimated by international call-ups again. The bulk of the playoffs will be played during the November break.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds proved that defense wins titles. They didn't concede a single goal and won three games on penalties. El Paso had a similarly impregnable backline during their eight-game winning run, when they allowed just four goals.

So, even if Fernandez doesn't play again, there is a strong chance that he could be crowned a champion in his first - and potentially only - season of professional soccer.

Written by

Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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