Cristo Fernandez, an actor best known for playing a professional soccer player on ‘Ted Lasso,’ made his USL debut for El Paso in its USL Cup match against New Mexico United on Saturday night. He subbed into the game in the 79th minute for Locomotive, picking up a yellow card during a 2-0 defeat.
From Acting to the Pitch
The 35-year-old was an accomplished youth player, competing with Tecos FC in Liga MX, before injuries derailed his career and led him to acting. Fernandez first tried out for the Chicago Fire’s reserve squad earlier this year, which led to another tryout with El Paso and an eventual contract.
‘Football is life!’ was the catchphrase of his ‘Ted Lasso’ character, and he revisited his most famous words in an ESPN interview in May. ‘Football has given me both the best moments, the sad moments,’ he said. ‘I guess that’s why, for me, football is life.’
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
