'Ted Lasso' Poster Appears In LI Hometown Of USMNT Player In World Cup

LAKE GROVE, NY — Ted Lasso has left a poster for United States of America soccer player Joe Scally in his hometown of Lake Grove.

Scally is currently competing for Team U.S.A. in the World Cup, with his squad playing to a 1-1 tie with Wales on Monday.

Lasso is a fictional character played by Jason Sudeikis in the show "Ted Lasso." The Apple TV+ show revolves around Lasso, an American football coach who is hired to manage a British soccer team.

The sign is set up at 980 Hawkins Ave., according to Chris Vaccaro, president of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame.

In the poster, Lasso comes up with an array of nicknames for Scally: "Scallywag," "Scallycat," and "Son of Lake Grove, Defender of Grass, Above Average Joe." The fictional coach told Scally he is rooting for him to earn a new nickname on the world stage: "Champ."

The U.S. team printed up 26 billboards for each player on the national team as if Lasso wrote them, Greater Long Island reported.

Scally, 19, is the youngest player on Team U.S.A. He is a right-back. The World Cup is being hosted in Qatar until Dec. 18.

Scally played for three seasons with New York City FC in Major League Soccer before joining Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he is in his third season.

Scally attended Sachem High School North. As a freshman, he once took a social studies final before heading to Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, where he made his professional soccer debut for New York City FC.

Frank Schmidt, a team trainer for the Sachem Destroyers, recalled watching an 11-year-old Scally and knowing he had a special talent, according to Schmidt's interview with Front Row Soccer.

Schmidt told the outlet in January 2021 that he was excited for Scally when it was announced he was going to play for Borussia Mönchengladbach.

“I’m getting chills as you as you say [he is headed to Borussia Mönchengladbach]," Schmidt told Front Row Soccer. "It is unbelievable. … NYCFC was a good prep for him. He got to train with David [Villa] and high-level players. He is in a different ballpark [in Germany], different level of competition. It’s cut-throat from everything I read and see.”