Photography by mike miller
America’s favorite fictional soccer coach wants you to believe, St. Louis.
You, too, Tim Ream and Josh Sargent.
A pair of whimsical billboards popped up in our region over the weekend, featuring heartfelt notes of appreciation penned by Ted Lasso to local soccer stars Ream and Sargent. Both players were recently selected to the United States’ 26-man roster for next week’s 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and the eponymous character in the hit Apple TV series wants the two to know how much he cares.
The billboard for Ream, a 35-year-old who is the eighth oldest player ever named to a U.S. World Cup roster, can be found in South City at Kingshighway and Devonshire. It reads:
“Tim,
Word at the fair is the lights aren't shining any place but St. Louis. So, if you could mail me one of y'all's lightbulbs, I'd love to check that out. You know what other shiny thing I can't wait to see? You, playin' in the big games. There should be a warning before the tournaments to load up on SPF and sunglasses to protect everyone from the Tim Ream Beam. I know I'll be doubling up on my visors. Your tootsie wootsie, Ted Lasso.”
Lasso’s message for Sargent can be found on Interstate-70 at Highway K in O’Fallon. It reads:
“Josh,
Being from the great town of O’Fallon, you must have been an o’natural for you to pursue soccer o’fficially. You looked destiny in the o’lfactory bulb and said, ‘O’kay, I’m gonna make my soccer dreams my main objective.’ And boy o’boy, you sure did. You’re about to o’ccupy the world’s biggest pitch with the [United States men’s national team] and o’btain some wins, while everyone in O’Fallon and I are just gonna be o’verjoyed to see you have a good o’l time out there and o’bliterate the competition. Over the moon with excitement, Ted O’Lasso.”
Similar billboards have gone up around the country in the hometowns of the various U.S. players. In St. Louis, it's starting to smell a lot like potential.
