Obed Vargas: All-Star boosts World Cup dream with Mexico | OneFootball

By Jon Arnold

AUSTIN, Texas – The 2025 MLS All-Star Game is an exhibition, a friendly match showcasing the league’s best players and its deepening rivalry with LIGA MX.

For Obed Vargas, Wednesday's match at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium is also an opportunity (9 pm ET | Apple TV - Free).

The 19-year-old Seattle Sounders FC homegrown midfielder enjoys linking up with his fellow All-Stars, the best players in MLS. But knowing the occasion will attract eyes in the United States and in Mexico, the nation Vargas opted to represent in international play, brings added importance.

If all goes to plan, it’s another game that can help him earn a place on El Tri's FIFA 2026 World Cup squad.

“Every single time I get to face one of those teams or if it’s MLS vs. LIGA MX All-Stars, it always adds a bit of motivation for me just because of my background, where I came from, who I grew up watching and obviously my ties with the Mexico national team and wanting to impress them and do well for them,” Vargas told MLSSoccer.com after training Monday.

“I think these games, being able to matchup against direct opponents competing kind of for the same spots in the Mexican national team, I think the coaches are able to get a better grasp of what my level is and how I can match up against those guys.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me to do well and show why I should be on that roster.”

Crossing paths

An Alaska native eligible for Mexico thanks to his parents, Vargas isn’t the only youngster trying to make Javier Aguirre consider a youth movement as the Mexico manager puts together his 2026 World Cup squad.

Tijuana midfielder Gilberto Mora, a 16-year-old, started El Tri’s three knockout matches as they lifted the Concacaf Gold Cup, a tournament Vargas missed because of the Sounders’ participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. Mora turned heads with an assist in the semifinal and earned a start in the final, becoming the youngest player ever to start a continental final.

While they’ll be rivals on Wednesday, Vargas knows Mora well after rooming with him at a Mexico U-20 camp.

“I get along with him super well and super happy to see him perform well in the Gold Cup," Vargas said. “I feel like he’s kind of changing the mindset in Mexico and the Mexico national team, putting more trust into the young guys. That’s only going to help us other young guys that are doing really well in the Mexican league and MLS.”

Dreaming big

Vargas has enjoyed a fast rise to stardom, with the Alaska native making his MLS debut at Q2 Stadium in July 2021. The then-15-year-old was pressed into duty with several Sounders players injured or missing, but got to live out a dream as he celebrated Raúl Ruidíaz’s winning goal. The forward had joined the Sounders from Monarcas Morelia, the team Vargas grew up watching with his father, a former Morelia academy prospect.

That connection to Morelia remains strong, though the team’s move to Mazatlán and re-emergence in the Mexican second division means Vargas is unlikely to go to his family’s hometown any time soon. In fact, while many LIGA MX teams have stated their interest in adding Vargas to their squads, the midfielder sees his future outside of North America.

Maybe, after that, he imagines a romantic end to his career surrounded by his family in Mexico.

“My dream would be to go to Europe. I don’t close the doors on anyone. I know right now there’s a lot of interest from the Mexican league, but I have my eyes pretty set on Europe,” Vargas said.

“For my career, my long-term development, my goals for the national team, I think I can reach my highest level playing over there compared to LIGA MX. Maybe one day Morelia gets back into the first division and they call me … but for now, Europe is my goal for sure.”

Vargas knows that continuing to perform his best with the Sounders is the key to achieving his goals of suiting up for Mexico and playing in Europe.

“Being a standout here, being one of the best players in the league, being an All-Star gives me a huge boost,” said Vargas, who's reportedly nearing a U22 Initiative contract extension. “I try to go day-by-day, I don’t think too far ahead. I know the best thing I can do right now is focus on my club with the Sounders."

World's stage

It's been a busy year for the rising star.

Vargas and the Sounders competed in the Concacaf Champions Cup, falling short to eventual champion Cruz Azul in the Round of 16, and later participated in the FIFA Club World Cup. Vargas played nearly every minute of that latter tournament, measuring himself against current UEFA Champions League title-holders Paris Saint-Germain, current Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo, and LaLiga power Atlético Madrid.

While those games provided a great learning opportunity, Vargas insists his soccer education is far from complete. He hopes to use this week to continue growing, taking tips from veterans that may help him earn that coveted World Cup place.

“I’m around great players. I want to learn as much as I can from them and soak up as much as I can from them,” he said. “Coach said today we want to win against the LIGA MX All-Stars, we want to do things well, and I think we all come in with that mindset where we all want to enjoy, but nobody enjoys losing. That’s what we want to do: Win.”

The result of the All-Star Game won’t decide whether or not Vargas will set up for El Tri in North America next summer, but Vargas is determined to show with his attitude and play that he’s ready for that call.