KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) 鈥� Lionel Messi and playing for a semifinal spot in Ted Lasso’s hometown?
You’d better BELIEVE he’s paying attention.
The fictional coach of soccer club AFC Richmond 鈥� or rather, Jason Sudeikis, who plays the title character on the Apple TV series 鈥� was hosting a watch party at CPKC Stadium near downtown Kansas City on Saturday night, when in their quest for back-to-back championships.
The fourth season of the comedy-drama, which has been on hiatus since May 31, 2023, is due to premiere on Aug. 5.
鈥淎s much as we’ve loved football before we got started, I’ve grown to love it more as we got more immersed in the soccer culture,鈥� said Sudeikis, who grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, and still has a deep affinity for the city.
In fact, many of the scenes in the new season of 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� were shot around Kansas City.
That includes riverfront CPKC Stadium, the home of the National Women’s Soccer League club Kansas City Current. It’s the first of its size built specifically for a women’s professional club, and a fitting locale for several thousand people to attend a watch party, given that the new season of 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� will focus on the newly formed AFC Richmond women’s team.
It was a concept that the character Keeley Jones 鈥� played by the award-winning Juno Temple 鈥� subtly pitched at the end of the third season, when it was still unclear whether 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� would return for another run.
鈥淚t feels like a perfect moment to be talking about women’s football, and representing it 鈥� not that I play, obviously,鈥� said Temple, who sported a teal Kansas City Current jersey Saturday. 鈥淪o that’s first and foremost. I hope that’s something people really treasure. And I also hope people enjoy the journey each of the characters are going on.鈥�
As for the World Cup, the cast hopes fans of the show have become fans of the game over the years. That has certainly been the case in the Sudeikis household; he played a little soccer as a kid before realizing basketball was more his game.
鈥淚’ve certainly heard from some people that didn’t care about soccer at all until they started to watch 鈥楾ed Lasso,鈥欌�� said Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard and is one of the show’s writers, and who reflected on the last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994.
鈥淎s opposed to 1994 when we had the World Cup and people knew even less about soccer, including me, people were ready for it,鈥� Hunt said. 鈥淵es, the world has come with this great energy, but we were more ready to be aware of their presence, and reciprocate energy. And we’re not as far behind as far as the sport’s popularity as it’s made out to be, and this World Cup is showing it.鈥�
The fact that Argentina and Switzerland were playing a World Cup final on Saturday night? In Kansas City?
鈥淟uck of the draw,鈥� Hunt said with a wry, bearded smile. 鈥淭he actual show about to come out after the World Cup? I think someone manipulated that. Might have been a corporate choice.鈥�
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