Ted Lasso Season 4 episode 3 sends Lady Greyhounds into a desperate striker search as Richmond fights for players, sponsors, uniforms, and its first victory.
Ted Lasso Season 4 episode 3, titled “Richmond’s Got Talent,” finally puts AFC Richmond’s new women’s team on the road toward its first match. Unfortunately, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) loses another striker before the Lady Greyhounds even get onto the pitch.
With the roster suddenly short, Ted, Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds), and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) hold open tryouts in search of reinforcements. Away from training, Richmond faces even bigger problems as doubts about the women’s team spread among shareholders and sponsors.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 3. Read at your own discretion.
Richmond Suddenly Needs A New Striker in Ted Lasson Season 4 Episode 3
The episode begins with another major setback for Ted’s new team. Richmond’s remaining striker announces that she is pregnant and will take leave. With the team’s other striker already sidelined by a season-ending injury, the Lady Greyhounds are suddenly left without a striker.
The striker is one of the most important player positions in a soccer (football) team. Alice jokingly suggests finding someone from the streets. Ted immediately loves the idea, turning her joke into Richmond’s actual recruitment plan.
Alice already has one potential player in mind, but she does not sound confident that the woman will agree to join. Until then, Richmond has to see what talent it can find elsewhere.
Richmond’s Shareholders Question The Women’s Team
At her office, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) struggles to find private time with her boyfriend, Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn).
Ted interrupts them first, followed by Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) and Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift). Rebecca eventually clears her office, but Richmond business quickly takes over again.
At a shareholders’ meeting, the women’s team receives a cold response. Some shareholders show little interest in Keeley’s presentation and question why Richmond is spending money on the Lady Greyhounds. They argue that the club should instead focus its resources on helping the men qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Their concerns become more serious when it is discovered that Higgins’ financial report (from last episode) had leaked to the public.
The report paints a bleak picture of the women’s team’s long-term financial future. Keeley is especially upset because Rebecca and Higgins knew about the findings but did not tell her.
She makes one thing clear: she does not want them hiding bad news from her again. Still, Keeley refuses to give up. A financial forecast may look terrible, but she believes the people and culture behind Richmond can create an outcome that numbers alone cannot predict.
Henry Starts His New Life In London
Meanwhile, Ted’s son Henry (Grant Feely) begins attending school in London after moving to England with his family. He soon befriends Phoebe (Elodie Bloomfield), Roy Kent’s niece. Their connection gives Henry an immediate link to the Richmond family beyond his father.
Phoebe also continues keeping Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) on his toes. When he talks about Richmond’s men as though they are the club and treats the women as something separate, Phoebe quickly reminds him that both teams represent AFC Richmond.
It is a small correction, but Roy takes it seriously.
Richmond Opens Its Doors For Tryouts
With the first match approaching, Ted, Beard, and Alice turn their attention back to finding players. Plenty of hopefuls show up, but Alice eliminates most of them quickly.
One candidate immediately gets Beard’s attention: Maria Rojas (Paloma Cinco), the sister of former Richmond star Dani Rojas (Paloma Cinco is the real-life sister of Cristo Fernández, Dani’s actor). Her enthusiasm feels very familiar, leading Beard to wonder whether football talent might run in the family.
But it later turns out it does not. Maria has plenty of personality but very little understanding of football. Richmond eventually has no choice but to cut her. By the end of the tryout, only single mother Lizzie (Faye Marsay) and football fan Shannon (Shannon Hayes) remain.
Lizzie is a defender rather than a striker, but she impresses the coaches with her football intelligence and natural leadership. She even manages to settle arguments among Richmond’s existing players.
Shannon has a tougher time convincing Alice and Beard. Neither believes she is ready, but Ted sees something in her energy and refuses to dismiss her potential. Richmond signs both women. There is just one problem: Neither solves the striker crisis.
Rebecca Fights To Keep Richmond’s Sponsor
The negative reaction to Higgins’ report soon creates another emergency. One of Richmond’s sponsors pulls its support from the women’s team, forcing Rebecca to personally fight for the partnership.
She argues that supporting the Lady Greyhounds means taking a chance on something that deserves room to grow. More importantly, a successful women’s team can give girls footballers to look up to while allowing boys to grow up seeing women in professional football as completely normal.
Her argument works. The sponsor agrees to stay, giving Richmond some much-needed financial breathing room. But Rebecca’s commitment to the team comes at a cost. She repeatedly misses plans with Matthijs because another Richmond problem always seems to appear.
Matthijs remains patient, but Rebecca begins to realize that keeping the women’s team alive and maintaining her relationship may require a better balance than she has managed so far.
Alice Confronts Her History With Gemma
Richmond still needs a striker, which brings Ted and Alice to Gemma (Abbie Hern), the only player Alice seriously recommends for the position.
Gemma once played alongside Alice before leaving football and pursuing law. Their reunion quickly reveals why Alice seemed reluctant to approach her. Gemma says Alice played a major role in her decision to quit.
According to Gemma, Alice constantly criticized her and made football miserable. Alice argues that she pushed everyone hard and believes Gemma simply walked away. Ted does not try to fix years of resentment in one conversation.
Instead, he tells Gemma something that changes how she sees Alice’s behavior. When Ted asked Alice to recommend a great striker, Gemma was the only name she gave him. Whatever happened between them, Alice clearly still believes in her ability. That realization stays with Gemma as she studies law. Before long, football begins calling her back.
Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 3 Recap: Keeley Faces A Game-Day Disaster
While Ted searches for a striker, Keeley runs into another problem. Richmond’s new uniforms fail to arrive before the Lady Greyhounds’ first match.
For Keeley, the missing kits feel like more than a delivery mistake. The women’s team already faces questions about whether it deserves Richmond’s money and attention, and she wants everything about its debut to look professional. Roy initially tries to reassure her by describing the upcoming game as just a friendly.
Keeley does not appreciate that. For Richmond’s women, the match carries pressure far beyond the result. Every mistake risks becoming another argument for why the team should never have existed. Roy eventually understands what she means.
Phoebe Helps Save Richmond’s Kits
With the uniforms still missing, Roy finds inspiration much closer to home. He recruits Phoebe and her friends to help Keeley prepare replacement kits for the Lady Greyhounds. The girls turn them into colorful, bedazzled uniforms that look nothing like the original plan.
Yet that becomes part of their charm. Keeley wanted everything to look perfect. Instead, Richmond gets something personal, creative, and impossible to mistake for anyone else’s team. Most importantly, the players finally have something to wear.
Gemma Returns Just In Time
Richmond receives another surprise before the match. Gemma decides to give football another chance while continuing her law studies.
Her arrival finally gives Ted the striker he has spent the episode searching for. It also forces Alice to work alongside someone who still carries resentment from their past.
Their relationship remains uncomfortable, but Richmond has a game to play. And for now, that takes priority.
Lady Greyhounds’ First-Ever Game
The Lady Greyhounds’ first match does not immediately provide the exciting debut everyone hoped for. The score remains 0–0 deep into the game, with Richmond struggling to create much going forward.
Gemma waits on the bench, eager for her chance. Eventually, Alice makes the call. She tells Ted to put Gemma into the game. Gemma quickly proves why Alice named her as Richmond’s best option. She scores the winning goal and gives the Lady Greyhounds their first victory.
The players celebrate, along with Ted, the rest of the staff, and the fans watching. Henry and Ted’s ex-wife, Michelle (Andrea Anders), are among the fans.
Alice responds in a much more Alice-like way. Instead of showering Gemma with praise, she immediately points out what she could have done better.
Their history clearly needs work. Still, the fact that Alice chooses to send Gemma onto the pitch says plenty about how highly she rates her.
Roy Reminds Keeley Not To Give Up
After the match, Roy visits Keeley. He apologizes for dismissing her concerns earlier and recognizes how much pressure she has carried while trying to make Richmond’s women’s team succeed. Then he gives her a report of his own he calls the “Jones Report” (Keeley’s family name).
Unlike the pessimistic “Higgins Report”, Roy’s message is simple: do not let other people’s doubts decide whether the Lady Greyhounds deserve a future.
For Keeley, it provides exactly the encouragement she needs after spending the week solving one crisis after another.
Rebecca Finally Makes Time For Matthijs
Rebecca also gets one small personal victory. After repeatedly missing plans with Matthijs, she finally makes it to their date.
Matthijs wisely waits until he knows Rebecca has actually arrived before joining her, given how many times Richmond has pulled her away.
Their relationship survives another chaotic week. However, the episode makes it clear that Rebecca cannot simply assume Matthijs will always wait while the club comes first. Richmond matters deeply to her, but so does the life she has built outside it.
Richmond’s Risk Starts To Pay Off
“Richmond’s Got Talent” gives the Lady Greyhounds something they desperately need: proof that taking a chance can pay off.
Ted takes a chance on Shannon even when Alice and Beard disagree. Rebecca convinces a sponsor to take a chance on the women’s team. Gemma takes another chance on football, while Alice eventually trusts her enough to put her into the match.
Richmond’s problems are far from solved.
Higgins’ report still raises serious questions about the team’s financial future. Keeley still has to convince people that the Lady Greyhounds deserve their support, and Alice and Gemma have years of unresolved tension between them.
But Richmond finally has something concrete to celebrate. The Lady Greyhounds are no longer just an ambitious project being discussed in offices and shareholder meetings. They now have new players, their own identity, and a victory on the pitch.
But one win cannot prove that Richmond’s gamble will succeed. For now, though, it gives everyone a reason to keep believing.
Catch the next episode of Ted Lasso Season 4 on August 26 on Apple TV. New episodes come out every Wednesday at 9 AM PHT.
