The fictional club on Apple TV + hit show “Ted Lasso” will be a playable team in the EA SPORTS FIFA 23 video game, it was announced Wednesday. Greyhounds will by default appear in the Rest of the World category and can be traded in career, kickoff and online play modes. The character Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, will be available in career mode.
“I am truly fortunate and deeply grateful to have experienced many special moments in my career so far, and I consider this experience to be among the best,” Sudeikis said in a statement. “As a longtime EA SPORTS FIFA fan, having Ted Lasso and the entire AFC Richmond squad incorporated into the new version of the game is truly a dream come true for me and the rest of the guys.”
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Perhaps no one on the show is as enthusiastic about the development as Phil Dunster, who plays striker Jamie Tartt. Dunster has vivid memories of his first time playing the game – the FIFA 99 soundtrack has stayed with him for more than two decades – and has said it has been a big part of his life ever since.
“[Playing FIFA is] really the closest thing to addiction,” Dunster told ESPN, laughing. “Normally, I’d play career mode with AFC Wimbledon because that’s my team. Then you make your way to the top and it’s great to see [Leo] Messi play at Plow Lane.”
With the addition of AFC Richmond, Dunster said he will likely have to change his approach and help bring glory to Nelson Road, as the Greyhounds stadium will also be part of the game. Also present will be characters Roy Kent, Sam Obisanya and Dani Rojas.
For Dunster, the reality that a character he plays as an actor will be in the game represents another surreal moment that came from his association with the sitcom. When it was first cast, there was no expectation that the show would turn into an internationally acclaimed series. In fact, his initial excitement stemmed from the fact that he would be technically paid to play the sport he was obsessed with.
“The weekend I found out I got the job, the thing that thrilled me most was the fact that we did football practice, which for me, as an avid football fan for life, is it was the coolest thing, “he said. “The expectations were very different from what the show turned out to be. It was mainly about the fact that I could pretend to be a professional footballer. I could tell everyone that I was now getting paid to play football.”
The downside to the show’s success, he said, is that now when he shows up for five-a-side games in London, the expectations from those he plays with are different.
“People were saying, ‘Aren’t you that guy from’ Ted Lasso? ‘Aren’t you supposed to be like a Premier League footballer?'” Dunster said. “And I would be garbage in comparison and they would be, and that was very embarrassing to me. It happened a couple of times.”
His character, Jamie Tartt, is anything but junk. On the show, he was good enough to play for Manchester City and a key member of Lasso’s team.
Dunster had yet to be briefed on what Tartt’s player rating was in the game, but he was willing to speculate.
“I think Jamie is 25. He hasn’t played for England yet, so he’s not at that level, but he’s also a very good striker. Listen, Harry Kane played for England. It’s hard to be an English striker because Harry Kane is always in shape, ”Dunster said. “So that’s probably why [Tartt] wasn’t at the top, at the top, at the top of his game, he didn‘t give the opportunities. But he was at City, a very promising player. So with all these things in there. mind, I think it’s – I’ll say 84 overall. “
It turns out Dunster’s logic was aligned with the creators of the game. An EA Sports FIFA spokesperson later confirmed Tartt received an overall score of 84, which puts him one point behind Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Chelsea’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
FIFA 23 will be released on September 30th.
