Joey LynchCloseJoey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsMar 2, 2026, 11:59 PM ET
Cristo Fernández, beloved by fans the world over for his role as Dani Rojas in the hit television show Ted Lasso, looks set to make his soccer dreams leap from the silver screen to reality as he trials with USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC.
Goal has reported that Fernández, 35, logged half-an-hour for Locomotive in their win against New Mexico United over the weekend, with the Junior Gonzalez-coached side set to determine if they will sign the actor-turned-soccer player to a contract in the coming week.
And it’s seemingly not the first club that Fernández has looked to land with ahead of the coming season, with MIR97 Media subsequently reporting that he had also logged time with Chicago Fire II a few weeks ago and even scored in a win over USL League One outfit Forward Madison FC.
There was no word on if he took a penalty in either game — nor if there were any greyhounds attempting to cross the pitch when he did so — but in the video below (just click to the right!) you can clearly see Fernández celebrating El Paso’s win with his teammates.
Joey LynchCloseJoey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseJoey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.Follow on X
View this post on Instagram A post shared by El Paso Locomotive FC (@eplocomotivefc)
A post shared by El Paso Locomotive FC (@eplocomotivefc)