Football was certainly life over the weekend with the El Paso Locomotives! If you thought you spotted Dani Rojas on the pitch in El Paso this weekend, you weren’t imagining things.
Over the weekend, Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández was on the field training with El Paso Locomotive FC, and Borderland soccer fans collectively lost their minds!
Cristo Fernández Logged Minutes in Preseason
It was reported that Fernández had been training with the Locomotive since Thursday. He even logged about 30 minutes during Saturday’s preseason scrimmage against New Mexico United. Video and photos quickly made the rounds online, with fans posting in disbelief that the AFC Richmond favorite was suddenly on an El Paso pitch.
As of now, the club hasn’t made an official announcement about whether Fernández is signing for the 2026 USL Championship season. But reports suggest there’s a real possibility he could join in a playing capacity. For Locos fans like me? That’s more than enough to start dreaming.
From Guadalajara Prospect to Hollywood Star
What makes this even more incredible is that Fernández isn’t just an actor playing a footballer.
Before he ever delivered the iconic “Football is life!” line, he was a highly rated midfielder in Mexico. At just 15, he joined Guadalajara’s Estudiantes Tecos club and was on track to make his professional debut.
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A serious knee injury sidelined him for a year and ultimately ended his playing career. He later described the experience as an existential crossroads, one that eventually led him to acting.
Then came Ted Lasso.
On the hit Apple TV+ series, Fernández plays Dani Rojas, the endlessly optimistic striker for AFC Richmond whose love for the game is almost poetic. The role turned him into a global fan favorite.
As someone who binged Ted Lasso in a single month (no regrets), this feels surreal.
I adore that show. I laughed. I cried. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. And Dani Rojas? One of the purest, most joyful characters on TV. Add to that the fact that I’m a huge soccer fan and counting down the days until the new season kicks off, I’m fully invested in this storyline!
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Seeing Fernández on an El Paso field feels like two of my favorite worlds colliding in the best way possible!
Could Dani Rojas Suit Up for the Locos?
Right now, fans are waiting for official confirmation from the club. But even the possibility that Cristo Fernández could lace up for El Paso Locomotive this season has already energized the fanbase ahead of the March 7 opener against Colorado Springs.
Whether this turns into a one-weekend cameo or a fairytale comeback, one thing is certain: El Paso just became the center of a Ted Lasso storyline; because football is life!
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