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Remember Ted Lasso? The blustering, boisterous soccer coach who seemed to know next to nothing about the sport? Well, he’s back, this time with his own sitcom.
Portrayed by “Saturday Night Live” and “Horrible Bosses” star Jason Sudeikis, the character was originally seen promoting NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League in 2013.
The clueless coach was created to embody the average American’s perceived lack of knowledge when it comes to the global game, but even the most soccer-ignorant U.S. sports fan would struggle to know less about the sport than Lasso.
We first met Lasso after he has somehow landed the job of managing a Tottenham Hotspur squad that included Gareth Bale, although it’s not much of a spoiler to say his tenure at Spurs was not a runaway success.
The Apple TV series “Ted Lasso,” the first episode of which airs on Aug. 14, follows his return to England having somehow landed himself a job as the new manager of an ambitious soccer club that recruits him straight out of American football.
Given his lack of tactical nous or man-management skills, Lasso may well have been hired on the back of his appearance in a viral dance video.
Been rockin’ these moves since the first “House Party” movie came out! And if it ain’t broke… pic.twitter.com/jjZHCzkHVY
— Ted Lasso (@TedLasso) August 6, 2020
Despite the absence of any credentials, Lasso is handed the reins at AFC Richmond with the task of transforming the mediocre also-rans into Premier League big-hitters.
Thanks to his boundless charisma and enthusiasm in the face of abject incompetence, Lasso gradually starts to win people over while slowly — incredibly slowly — getting to grips with the basics of the game.
He may know nothing about the actual sport, but the imparting the value of just getting out there and playing, win or lose… or draw.
But it’s his opinions on English tea tasting like “hot brown water” that might end up getting him into the most trouble.
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In creating Lasso, Sudeikis has added to a long tradition of fictional football coaches who have brought passion and glory (though rarely much realism) to the screen.
Loud, aggressive and totally hopeless, Weston is the man who could have taught Ted Lasso all he knows about soccer (i.e. precisely nothing).
Imprisoned ex-England captain Meehan proved that with a little know-how and sensitive man-management, even a quarrelling group of violent psychopaths and career criminals can be coerced into playing some decent football.
Working with a despondent squad and next to no resources, the charismatic Captain Colby managed to piece together a team of strangers capable of pulling off the most dramatic upsets in football history.
McLeod had his demons, but he also had the necessary gravitas to knock a cocky First Division hot-shot (played by former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist) down a peg or two before getting the best out of him.
They say that Brian Clough is the best manager England never had, but Bassett certainly runs Old Big ‘Ed close.