Ted Lasso’s AFC Richmond football club is full of bright and talented players and coaches, but the team still keeps losing its biggest matches – why? Ted’s brought major improvements to the club culture, the energy in the locker room, and the overall team chemistry since he arrived at the beginning of season 1. There have also been frequent references to him being excellent at developing younger, less experienced players. So why does AFC Richmond keep falling apart in the big moments?
To be fair, even nearing the end of season 2, Ted still doesn’t fully understand the sport he’s coaching. His expertise is in personality management and team building, not the logistical specifics of professional soccer. However, that’s not a fully sufficient explanation for the team’s repeated failings. After all, Coach Beard understands the game quite well, as does Nate, and Richmond has added a generational talent in season 2 by bringing Roy Kent onto the AFC Richmond coaching staff. The problem can't be entirely on Ted's shoulders.
There are multiple contributing factors. To start, AFC Richmond isn’t the biggest team in the world of English football. Clubs like Manchester City – which has now defeated Lasso and company in two different big games – have larger fan bases, more resources, and star-studded rosters. Like the Lakers in basketball and the Yankees in baseball, every sport has top teams that always stand above the rest of the competition. AFC Richmond is not one of those soccer teams, which puts it at a distinct disadvantage in the big moments.
It also doesn’t help that many of Richmond’s best players are particularly young. Jamie Tartt is the offensive star, but he hasn’t been in the game for all that long. The next best players are probably Dani Rojas and Sam Obisanya, both of whom are quite young and have only played a season or two in England. Ted is great at developing players, but he can’t create experience and confidence out of nowhere. Young talent takes time to reach true greatness, and AFC Richmond is still on that road.
Despite the setbacks, the team is clearly still improving. Isaac has stepped more confidently into his role as team captain. Dani, Sam, and Jamie have all come leaps and bounds in both their team chemistry and individual talent, and other players like Zoreaux and Colin have improved notably since the start of season 1. All pro sports teams go through rebuilds now and again, and they’re never as quick as fans would like. Yet, while bigger teams like Man City keep getting the best of AFC Richmond, the club may come back even stronger at the end of Ted Lasso season 2.