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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Kalbrosky

Ted Lasso Power Rankings: Who the heck is this mysterious new superstar striker named Zava?!

Warning: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED EPISODE 2 OF TED LASSO SEASON 3.

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Welcome to our Ted Lasso Power Rankings! Each week of the 12-episode season, For The Win will chat about the latest episode to see how everyone in the Ted Lasso universe is doing. Let’s dig into it.

AFC Richmond was down in the dumps during the premiere of Season 3.

But things started looking up during “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea” and suddenly, this club could actually be a real contender in the English Premier League.

Although this season is clearly building up to a match against the Nathan Shelley-led rival West Ham United, the second episode of the season featured a big match against Chelsea FC.

REVIEW: Ted Lasso’s third season feels like the end — now we have to trust them to stick the landing

Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+

Here is what else is happening:

7
Trent Crimm

If you’ve never been a sportswriter who is attempting to interview an athlete with no interest in speaking to you, let me be the first one to tell you: It really sucks!

The only thing that could be worse in that type of scenario would be if the entire time was icing you out, and that’s exactly what Trent Crimm (who is no longer with The Independent and is now writing a book) experiences. My heart goes out to him.

6
Roy Kent

Roy Kent is feeling all of the feelings during his post-Keeley breakup era, and everyone else is making it their business. He is also still processing the end of his career as a footballer, which isn’t easy either.

He returns to coach against his former club, Chelsea FC, which brings up all sorts of memories — including the first time he read negative criticism about him in the press (and it was written by none other than Trent Crimm). That’s heavy stuff.

5
Keeley Jones

Keeley is still having a bit of trouble adjusting to her life at a PR firm, and the company’s CFO keeps standing in the way of a good time. But she has reunited with an old friend, Shandy, which could make for a fun storyline to follow as they begin working alongside one another.

4
Ted Lasso

It seems more and more obvious that Ted is unsure about his role in coaching this team, but the team seems to love playing alongside one another and so he deserves a lot of credit for that. He also deserves a lot of credit for making an incredible reference to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

3
Rebecca Welton

AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton plainly admitted that she only wanted to pursue superstar striker Zava so that her ex-husband, Rupert Mannion, cannot sign him for West Hamm. Who cares?!

If she is able to convince this guy to come to her club, I don’t care what ya’ll say, a win is a win.

2
Jamie Tartt

Jamie Tartt continues to impress during the third season of Ted Lasso. He is showing more empathy than ever, even (perhaps foolishly) attempting to hug Roy Kent to console him post-breakup.

On the pitch, he is deferring more often, passing during crucial moments. My only worry with Jamie is how he might adjust to life playing second fiddle to Zava.

1
Zava

This larger-than-life superstar, played by Maximilian Osinski, is a fun new addition to the Ted Lasso universe. He is clearly the most revered athlete on the planet.

The unabashed confidence that this man possesses is through the roof. When he is introduced to people, he says that it’s an honor for them to meet him!

While we can’t say for sure who the writers had in mind when they created this character, he bares a striking physical resemblance to AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimović. That being said, his talent level seems to surpass even the best to ever play the game.

Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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