Seattle Sounders' hot commodity could soon be sent packing | OneFootball

Unlike any other soccer player born in Alaska, Obed Vargas was selected to the Men's National Soccer Team in Mexico. He is the first person from Alaska to play on a national team, and he did it at age 19. His father had played soccer in Mexico but never played for the national team. Obed has a younger brother (currently in the Sounders academy) and two sisters who all played soccer.

His meteoric rise in soccer started in Alaska with the Cook Inlet Soccer Club before joining the academy for Major League Soccer for the Seattle Sounders at age 14 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.

Like any player, he doubted if he was good enough, but gambled on himself to chase his dream. He signed his first contract after 2 years and made his Sounders debut against Austin FC at the age of 15 years and 351 days. That made him the 3rd youngest player in MLS history. After signing a Homegrown Player contract, he became a starter early in the 2022 season as Brian Schmetzer predicted that he was "going to be a tremendous player for our club".

Vargas had stints with the US U15, U20, and U23 teams before switching allegiances to Mexico, which he was able to do with his dual citizenship and perhaps because of his father's devotion to being a Mexican Soccer fan. He played for the Mexican U20 and U23 teams before being called up to play for senior team and played in his first match as a sub against the United States in 2024.

As a professional player for the Sounders, Vargas has scored 4 goals and assisted on 12 goals in 89 games. In just 23 games this year he has scored 2 of those goals and has 4 assists. Every year he has added new dimensions to his game and even though he is a defensive midfielder, he has been involved in an increasingly potent Sounders attack.

Vargas was part of the Sounders when they became the first team from the United States to win the CONCACAF Champions League title. A more experienced Vargas played in the Club World Cup against some of the best teams in the world and performed very well, turning the heads of many teams from abroad. More recently he became the youngest player in club history to reach 100 appearances, but as he is closing in on an extension to his U22 Initiative Contract, he is also eyeing Europe. If he is sold to a European team, he would be the first player from the Sounders Academy to be sold for a substantial transfer fee.

Vargas credits his family for being his support network, which moved to Seattle about the same time he signed his first contract. It was his father and family that stressed a strong and disciplined mentality that allows skilled players to accomplish great things.

Vargas's first major appearances were in the CONCACAF tournament at age 15, replacing injured veteran Joao Paulo, according to Vargas, he initially became aware of his first start when Brian Schmetzer claimed "there's a lot of injuries, a lot of players that are out, new players have to step up. There's a 15-year-old in this room. He's gonna start tomorrow," with Vargas as the only 15-year old in the room.

Vargas has teamed up with Christian Roldan to sure up the defensive midfield and feed the attack with linking passes. Success this season might be bitter/sweet for the Sounders. If they win the Leagues Cup or the MLS Cup, that might springboard Vargas's departure to Europe. Teams in Mexico that were interested have backed off for two reasons, Vargas's intent to play in Europe as well as the price tag he will come with. While the Sounders have not received any official offers yet, his youth, experience, and mentality make him a hot commodity and may mark the end of his career with the Sounders.