Ted Lasso cast members visit the real-life version of Nate’s West Ham United team in a fun behind-the-scenes photo. Season 1 of Apple TV+’s breakout comedy hit introduced Nick Mohammed’s Nate Shelley, the put-upon equipment manager for fictional soccer team AFC Richmond. But Nate wouldn’t stay a humble kitman for long, as unorthodox leader Lasso soon tapped into his deep soccer knowledge by promoting him to assistant coach.

Ted Lasso season 2 of course saw Mohammed’s Nate back as a more-confident assistant helping AFC Richmond dig itself out of the hole following relegation. But Nate’s triumphant arc would take a rather dark turn in season 2, as the character showed previously unsuspected depths of self-loathing and jealousy along with his new-found (apparently fragile) self-assurance. By season’s end, Nate would betray his biggest defender Ted by leaking news of his panic attack to the press, ultimately leaving AFC Richmond to take a new role as coach of West Ham United. All this serves to set up a potential redemption arc for Nate as Ted Lasso prepares for season 3.

Related: Everything We Know About Ted Lasso Season 3

Of course unlike the completely fictional AFC Richmond, Nate’s new team West Ham United is actually based on a real soccer squad that plays in the real Premier League. In a delightful moment for fans of both Ted Lasso and real soccer, the fake players of Nate’s old team attended an actual West Ham United game, in a meeting of realities that was memorialized on Twitter (via the account for fake team AFC Richmond). See the fun post in the space below:

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Ted Lasso fanatics will of course instantly recognize several members of the AFC Richmond team, including fan-favorite Dani Rojas, who in reality is actor Cristo Fernández. Also present is Nate’s successor as AFC Richmond’s equipment manager, Will Kitman (Charlie Hiscock). For those folks who don’t follow real Premier League soccer, the “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” scarf being held aloft by Jan Maas actor David Elsendoorn is a tribute to West Ham United’s long-time theme song. Also pictured are actors Kola Bokinni (Isaac McAdoo), Billy Harris (Colin Hughes), Mohammad Hashim (Moe Bumbercatch) and Emmanuel Olu (Tommy Winchester).

Of course if the above image were ever seen inside the universe of Ted Lasso, the AFC Richmond characters in question would all get destroyed by their fans for showing up at a rival’s game and apparently cheering for them. But in real life it’s obviously fine for the cast of Ted Lasso to drop character and enjoy some true soccer action. Ted Lasso season 3 will of course see the return of the fictional AFC Richmond as they take on the fake version of West Ham United and their new revenge-seeking coach Nate Shelley, in what should turn out to be a very emotionally-charged storyline indeed.

More: Ted Lasso Season 2's Mental Health Plot Elevates It As A Sports Show

Source: AFC Richmond/Twitter