It's not every day a teenager is among the most influential players on the field for a professional sports team.
At only 18 years old, midfielder Obed Vargas is exactly that for the Seattle Sounders.
The Homegrown Player has enjoyed a breakout year for the club, becoming a consistent starter in central midfield alongside veteran João Paulo. In 22 regular season matches, Vargas has tallied six assists for Seattle and scored his first-ever MLS goal against Philadelphia Union on April 30.
His rocket to the far-post against Philly made him the youngest player in the club’s MLS era to score for the Rave Green.
“I think it was one of my biggest goals and continues to be one of my goals to be an impactful player,” said Vargas.
It's been a long time coming for Vargas, whose Sounders journey began at 14 years old, when he left his family and hometown of Anchorage, Alaska to pursue his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
“If I stayed in Alaska, I probably wouldn't have made it anywhere,” said Vargas. “I could see the pathway from maybe younger guys like Danny [Leyva], who had already been on the second team and Josh [Atencio] was already on the second team and other guys like Ethan [Dobbeleare] as well…So, I kind of envisioned myself, going through the same pathway as them and that's what went into my decision to come here.”
Vargas spent half the season with the Academy’s U-15 team in 2020 but had to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was welcomed back to Seattle nine months later, where he was then placed on the U-17’s roster.
His time with the Academy was short-lived, however, spending less than a year in the youth scene he earned an opportunity to compete at the professional level.
“I was one of the best players on the 17’s and so they brought a lot of us to the Tacoma preseason,” said Vargas. “And I did really well in the preseason as well, and the coaches liked me, and then I signed with Tacoma [Defiance].”
The Alaska native quickly jumped from starting and playing the whole season with the organization's MLS NEXT Pro side, to signing with the First Team not long after. In 2021, the 15 year old made his MLS debut, setting the tone for the next three seasons of his professional career with the Sounders.
“When I came to the Academy, and everyone was looking at being a professional soccer player, that was what raised my standard of training all the time and pushed me to become better,” said Vargas. “Joining Tacoma as well, it was the same kind of mindset, but more pressure. There's guys that are playing for their livelihoods on that team and pushing for First Team minutes. And then my [MLS] debut and all the development in the First Team with the coaching staff and training has helped me develop so much.”
Vargas’ upwards trajectory has been obvious, but that came with learning lessons and overcoming obstacles along the way.
“There's always been adversity throughout my development…Being from Alaska, being away from home, [it was] difficult mentally,” said Vargas. “Playing at a higher level at the Academy and then Tacoma, it challenged my technical ability, my mental ability, my tactical awareness, all that stuff.”
Despite playing a vital role in the team’s first-ever Concacaf Champions League title in 2022, the 2023 season was an up-and-down experience for the midfielder in terms of seeing the pitch.
“I think maybe last year was probably the hardest for me not playing, because I always kind of played,” said Vargas. “I always played in the Academy, I always played for Tacoma, and then being on the bench, I don't see myself as a bench player at all…I want to be playing wherever I go.”
That didn’t deter him from reaching his aspirations of breaking into Seattle’s talented lineup.
“The way I dealt with it was, in the offseason…I was going to put in that work to come into preseason and show that I should be on the field as much as possible,” said Vargas. “I did a lot of fitness. I did a lot of work with the ball, a lot of drills.”
He continued, “It was more of a mindset where every day I woke up, and [told myself], ‘I'm not going to be on the bench…I'm going do the workout, I'm going to do the technical piece and do everything that they're assigning us to do so I can be as ready as possible when I come back.’”
Since then, his influence in matches has been undeniable.
“Looking back at all the work I put in, and reaping the benefits, I think I have to continue to do the same things as well by continuing to work hard and not relax because guys are pushing,” said Vargas. “There's competition at all times.”
Whether it be his desire to go forward in the attack more often or his newly regained confidence, you can’t watch a Sounders game without recognizing Vargas’ creativity on the ball or the way he glides past opponents.
“I think I've always had the ability to do the things that I've done on the field, offensively, it was maybe just more the tactical awareness of when to do it, and having that freedom and that confidence to do it,” said Vargas. “When you come up very young, 16,17, all you want to do is not mess up, all you want to do is not put the team in a bad place, and now, I think I have more belief in my own abilities to be like, ‘No, it's not just about not messing up, it's making things happen and making plays.”
A rising star at the club level, Vargas recently made headlines when he announced he had filed a one-time switch to represent Mexico on the international stage.
“I think the people closest to me always knew that it was going to happen,” said Vargas. “My family knew, my friends close to me when I was younger knew, and it was just a matter of time honestly, for me to make the switch.”
It was a difficult choice for Vargas, but he ultimately knew it was the right one for himself.
“I knew I was going to get a lot of backlash because of my short career with the U.S. national team and I knew it was going to stir a lot of comments, but I did it because I had it in my heart,” he said. “When you grow up watching a team, it's kind of just a childhood dream to play for that country and I fell in love with that team. I can't change the experiences that I had as a kid with the Mexican national team at home. My whole family, all my grandparents, my parents, they're all from Mexico.”
Vargas has yet to receive a call-up, but with the 2026 World Cup around the corner, the dream is for him to be a part of that roster.
“I think it'd be the biggest achievement I can have in my career,” said Vargas.
For now, he will have the opportunity to go up against players of that region in Leagues Cup, a tournament where MLS faces off against Liga MX teams in an ultimate North American showdown.
Vargas and the Sounders are set to host their first Liga MX team of the tournament on Sunday in their final group stage match against Club Necaxa (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch FREE on Apple TV, FS1, UniMás, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS). With only limited opportunities to play Liga MX teams every year, Vargas is determined to face as many of them as possible as the Seattle looks to secure another trophy.
“It gives me a little bit more motivation, because I know those guys, and I know those teams, and I know how big those teams are, and I know how passionate their fans are about those teams,” said Vargas. “So I kind of want to make them mad, I want to make them sad, and I want to beat them.”
