Cesar Hernandez May 13, 2026, 09:56 AM ET "Ted Lasso" star Cristo Fernández wants to make one thing clear: This isn't a PR stunt. "At the end of the day, I can tell you anything, but the only thing that's going to prove anything will be me on the pitch and the performance and what I bring on the field," the actor-turned-player told ESPN after signing with the USL Championship 's El Paso Locomotive . "I also understand who I am, and that big part of why I'm here can also be related to my work in other fields ... [but] this is real life." To most if not all of his fans (which includes nearly half a million followers on Instagram), Fernández is known as Dani Rojas, an enthusiastic yet fictional soccer player from the show "Ted Lasso." His goals, slick moves and even the club he plays for in the series, AFC Richmond, were part of a Hollywood script -- which is why eyebrows were raised on Tuesday when El Paso announced it had signed the actor.…