"Football has always been a huge part of my life and identity, and no matter where life has taken me, the dream of competing professionally never truly left my heart." Cristo Fernández said that. He's also a 35-year-old actor who plays a fictional footballer on TV. Now, somehow, he's a real one.
El Paso Locomotive FC confirmed this week that Fernández — best known as the gleefully enthusiastic Dani Rojas in Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso — has signed a professional contract with the USL Championship side. This is not a publicity stunt or a charity kickabout. The club's head coach Junior Gonzalez described him as "a great addition to our roster, adding another attacking threat to our forward line."
That's a real football coach saying real football things about a man who also appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and a State Farm commercial with Patrick Mahomes.
There's more football here than you'd think
The easy angle is the novelty. Actor joins football club — writes itself. But Fernández's background is genuinely relevant. He played youth football in Mexico before a knee injury ended that path. Earlier this year he was training with Chicago Fire's reserve setup in MLS. He also featured in pre-season matches for Locomotive before they decided to hand him a contract.
This wasn't a club doing someone a favour. El Paso are currently fourth in Group B of the USL Championship. They're not in a position to carry passengers.
Whether Fernández can actually contribute at this level over a full season is the legitimate question nobody can answer yet — not even him. But the groundwork he's laid suggests he's taken this seriously, not treated it as a gap-year adventure. "Maybe I'm just a crazy man with crazy dreams," he said, "so being here with the 'Locos' actually makes perfect sense."
What it means for El Paso
Beyond the football itself, Locomotive just bought themselves a marketing engine. Fernández has a global fanbase from Ted Lasso, and any USL club operating in a mid-sized Texas market knows exactly what that kind of profile is worth.
For those following the USL Championship title race, El Paso's odds are built on their squad depth and Gonzalez's system — not one actor-turned-forward. But if Fernández chips in with goals or assists, the story writes a second chapter nobody saw coming.
El Paso Locomotive FC were founded in 2018. In 2025, they signed Dani Rojas. Stranger things have happened in football. Not many, but some.
