Skip to main content

‘Ted Lasso’ star Cristo Fernández makes professional US soccer debut

Actor and footballer Cristo Fernández prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between South Africa and Canada at Los Angeles Stadium on June 28, 2026, in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández made his professional soccer debut in the U.S. over the weekend.

Fernández made his debut for El Paso Locomotive FC in the team’s match against New Mexico United at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday. The actor played fan-favorite Dani Rojas in the Apple TV+ series.

As Fernández entered the game, a broadcaster calling the match described the moment as “what everybody came to see tonight … the long anticipated debut.”

“Cristo Fernández: ‘Fútbol is life!'” another chimed in, referencing Dani’s famous catchphrase in Ted Lasso.

Fernández came on in the 79th minute of the game, which his club ultimately lost 2-0. Fernández recorded a yellow card in the 87th minute, according to the game statistics.

Fernández, 35, joined the USL Championship side after completing what the club described as an “extensive” two-month trial.

During that stretch, the Mexican actor and forward trained regularly with the team and appeared in a preseason match against New Mexico United.

“Yes, it’s really him,” Fernández’s player biography on the El Paso Locomotive FC website states.

Long before his acting career took off, Fernández began a promising soccer career, playing youth soccer for Mexican club Guadalajara Estudiantes Tecos Club and Puerto Rico’s Guayama FC before injuries ultimately sidelined him, according to ESPN.

He later decided to pursue acting while attending university in Mexico, and eventually moved to England, where he graduated from the Guildford School of Acting at the University of Surrey.

In recent years, Fernández has shared his journey back to soccer on social media, posting videos of himself training with professional clubs across the country, including teams connected to Major League Soccer organizations.

In an interview posted to social media back in May, Fernández opened up about the opportunity to play for El Paso Locomotive FC.

“I love the city. I love the team. It’s a dream come true,” he said at the time.

He added, “Since day one they welcomed me, they let me compete, and they treated me like another player, and it’s a great team.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Abdul El-Sayed distances himself from left-wing influencer after comments about American Jews

By CNN
(CNN) — Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed sought to distance himself Monday from Hasan Piker after the left-wing streamer and activist suggested to his Twitch viewers last week that American Jews’ support of Israel will make antisemitism worse and invite violence.El-Sayed, who is facing Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in a critical race in the battle for the Senate majority this November, has appeared with Piker several times on the campaign trail, telling reporters he wanted to court the streamer’s massive young audience even though he disagreed with some of Piker’s views. The two walked into an event in Detroit together on the eve of El-Sayed’s narrow primary win over Rep. Haley Stevens and were photographed the same day together at a pool party with progressive influencers and House candidates.But after months of campaigning alongside Piker, El-Sayed said in a Monday statement specifically addressing Piker’s comments that “nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”“I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence. This is particularly true for communities that have been intimidated for their beliefs in the past,” El-Sayed said.“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters,” he added, repeating a sentiment he’s frequently espoused on the campaign trail. “Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk.”El-Sayed also sought to downplay the significance of the pro-Palestinian influencer to his campaign, as he accused “politicians and pundits” of trying “to make this race about a Twitch streamer.”Piker drew bipartisan backlash after he said last week, “If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action — not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.”He defended his remarks on X on Sunday evening as criticism of the conflation of support for Israel with American Jews. “Falsely tying Israel to Jewish people IS increasing antisemitism,” he argued, adding, “this isn’t a call for violence.”While El-Sayed is an outspoken critic of the Israeli government himself, his effort to distance himself from Piker comes as he vies to broaden his support after a bruising Democratic primary and as Rogers seeks to pick up disappointed Stevens voters.Describing Piker as El-Sayed’s “running mate,” Rogers in a social media post cast the streamer’s comments as “more calls for violence coming out of the El-Sayed campaign.”“If Abdul El-Sayed had any courage at all, he would call this out and disavow Hasan Piker once and for all,” he said. “We’re waiting, Abdul…”Michigan Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten, who supported Stevens in the primary and has not endorsed El-Sayed, also condemned Piker’s remarks.“Piker is a hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance,” she said. “It’s dangerous for everyone. We should all be calling out this disgusting rhetoric so it loses its grip on our politics once and for all.”The left-wing influencer made the comments last week during a livestream, as he discussed the refusal of state Sen. Jeremy Moss, the Democratic nominee for Stevens’ seat, to endorse El-Sayed.Piker appeared to reference an audio clip that has circulated online in recent weeks that purportedly features Moss, who is Jewish, saying that making sure the US continues supporting Israel is the only purpose of his House campaign. The lawmaker has denied making the remarks, saying in a statement that the clip is “manipulated and unsourced audio with things I never did and never would say.”Piker said: “I don’t know how people don’t recognize how dangerous this predicament is, how dangerous this is for Jews.”“You’re running around basically tying your entire identity to a country that inevitably will be seen as basically Jewish ISIS, and you’re saying, as Jews, this is all we care about,” he said. “You’re making antisemitism worse.”Moss said in a statement Monday that while he and El-Sayed have been having an ongoing conversation about Jewish and Arab safety in the US and abroad, there is still work to be done to unite the Democratic ticket in Michigan.“But provocateurs are exploiting this moment to create further divisions,” he warned. “I will not be lectured by a California podcaster about what Oakland County, Michigan’s Jewish community should and shouldn’t believe. And we certainly won’t be gaslit that we’re responsible for the antisemitic harm upon us.”Piker’s views reflect growing opposition to US support for Israel, particularly among progressives, in response to Israel’s war in Gaza and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave following Hamas’ October 2023 attack.But the streamer also has a long history of incendiary remarks — including saying in 2019 that the United States “deserved 9/11,” a comment from which he backtracked days later.Earlier this month on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” El-Sayed said Piker’s comment about 9/11 was “dumb,” but also cast highlighting it now as playing “gotcha politics.”“I want to be held accountable for what I say and what I do, rather than this idea that we’re so stuck in cancel culture that all of us agreed was a bad idea back in 2020, but we seem to want to bring back,” El-Sayed said in that interview.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
De la Espriella dice que todos los grupos criminales en Colombia serán tratados como "terroristas"
44 minutes ago

De la Espriella dice que todos los grupos criminales en Colombia serán tratados como "terroristas"

Cnn L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbXQ3dXVvZ24wMDB6M2I2cmtxM28xcHI5 L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtdDd1cjB1bzAwMHkyN3FnMnJma2hueDA=

Trump criticism leads to rare criminal charges for Air Force officer who called for impeachment

“Purpose Over Pleasure”: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth Turns Down $305,000 Salary and Delivers a WOW Lesson in Leadership

Psicólogo duda de la declaración de Lindsay Clancy sobre alucinaciones mientras el juez rechaza el pedido de anular el juicio

El crimen organizado recluta cada vez más niños en Colombia. Así lo hace, según un informe