Cristo Fernández signed with El Paso Locomotive FC in May and paused his acting career to chase professional soccer. The Guadalajara-born actor, best known as Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso, said the move grew out of a lifelong goal rather than a publicity turn.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated while wearing Mexico’s deep green home jersey, Fernández said, "Regardless of your age, it’s cool to dream because we are told in society that only kids and young children are allowed to dream big, but I think it’s for all ages," He added, "I hope grownups truly understand that we can all dream."
El Paso Locomotive FC in May
The May contract matters because it turned a longtime soccer aspiration into an actual roster spot with a USL Championship club. For Fernández, that meant putting screen work on hold long enough to test whether his name recognition could coexist with the demands of FC competition.
Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso made Fernández a familiar face to entertainment audiences, but the contract points in a different direction: he is not using the role as a finish line. He is using it as leverage to reach the sport he has chased for years.
Mexico and the round of 16
Mexico entered Sunday’s round of 16 with four straight victories and 0 goals conceded, a run that looks airtight on paper. Yet the same team had still not reached the quarterfinals since 1986, and the gap between those numbers is where the pressure lives.
Mexico beat Ecuador 2–0 in the round of 32 at the Estadio Azteca, earning its first knockout stage win in 40 years. The wider frame is simple enough: El Tri can dominate a stretch of matches and still carry the burden of la maldición del quinto partido whenever the bracket tightens.
World Cup and the next move
For Fernández, the practical next step is the contract itself. He has already paused acting and committed to El Paso Locomotive FC in May, so the relevant question is not whether the switch happened, but how long he stays with it while the soccer side of his career is being treated as real work rather than a side project.
