Obed Vargas: Club World Cup-bound teenager set to be MLS' next breakout star

Anchorage, Alaska doesn't produce much soccer talent, and understandably so. It's basic geography. It's cold up in Alaska, which is just so far away from the mainland U.S.

Vargas is one of five children born to Mexican-American parents, and was born into a soccer-loving family. His entire family plays, with his father serving as his earliest coach.

Growing up, Vargas played for Cook Inlet Soccer Club before moving to Seattle to further his career with the Sounders academy. Once in Seattle, he progressed quickly, signing with the Tacoma Defiance, the club's reserve team, in May 2021, before making his MLS debut just a month later.

By making his debut, Vargas became the third-youngest player to appear in an MLS match behind only Freddy Adu and Alphonso Davies.

While fans of the Sounders were certainly excited about Vargas' potential prior to that CCL run, it was his performances in that competition that vaulted him into the spotlight.

Vargas was a mainstay throughout the competition, beginning in February 2022, where he started both games against Honduran side Motagua.

The next round brought a much stiffer test, Mexico's Leon, Vargas, though, was unphased as he logged 90 minutes in a 3-0 first-leg win before coming off the bench to help seal the tie in the second leg.

He made two more appearances in the semis against NYCFC before that memorable 61-minute runout against Pumas in the final's second leg, helping the Sounders seal a historic trophy.

“I would hope some of those scouts from Leon or some of the other bigger teams in Mexico would take notice, although I don't want to lose the kid," Schmetzer said last year during the Sounders' run. "But certainly he belongs in the team. He has played at a level where he belongs on the field so that's credit to him."

Following the CCL finale, Vargas went right into the Sounders starting XI, keeping things ticking at the heart of the team's midfield.

The teenager started each of the club's next seven MLS games, proving that his introduction in the continental competition was no fluke. His rapid rise saw him called up to the U.S. Under-20 men's national team as the youngest player in the squad.

Unfortunately, though, that run would be somewhat short-lived, as Vargas went down with an injury that derailed his 2022 season. A back issue effectively ended his season in June, forcing him to miss the final months of the MLS campaign.

Heading into 2023, though, Vargas is back and fit for the start of the season. He's trained fully during preseason, and could take the field for Sounders' Club World Cup run ahead of the start of the MLS season on February 25.

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Vargas has often started on one side of a double pivot, with his ability to anchor a team as the more defensive-minded midfielder being apparent right from the start.

Despite his age, Vargas has shown great signs of understanding what may just be soccer's hardest position. He's been fantastic at getting into the right position defensively and does well at cutting off passing lanes.

Going up against some of the best competition CONCACAF has to offer, Vargas never looked out of place, which is much more than you can expect from a 16-year-old defensive midfielder being thrown in at the deep end.

And, saying that, Vargas' biggest strength is probably his mind. He's had the confidence and poise to step on the field in a continental cup final, something few could have done at his age. He made some mistakes in his early MLS games, but never seemed to get too frustrated by them.

Physically, though, Vargas is no slouch, as he's listed at5′9 with plenty of time to grow and, when he is on the ball, he has the strength to hold off defenders and the burst to glide past them if needed.

Like most young No.6s, Vargas' next step will come with improvement on the ball.

It's the section of the game that truly separates the great defensive midfielders with the good defensive midfielders: the ability to drive the ball forward. So far, Vargas has shown flashes of it, but his passing is definitely still an area that could use improvement.

If Vargas does get a bit better on the ball, there's certainly a chance he could grow into a player that's more of a box-to-box No.8, as he certainly has the physical and technical profile to contribute more in the attack. So far, the Sounders haven't utilized him like that, as he's rarely gone forward with regularity.

All of that, though, could come with time. It's important to remember that Vargas is still only 17, with plenty of learning and growing to do in the coming years.

Schmetzer has been quick to compare Vargas to a teammate, Cristian Roldan, who was recently a part of the USMNT's World Cup squad.

“We're happy to have him now," Schmetzer said last year, "and he reminds a little bit of Cristian when Cristian first came. He's got that defending, tenacity, but he can go forward and attack. I think he's going to be a tremendous player for our club, and then let's see.”

However, as Schmetzer alluded to, Vargas has the potential to take his game to the highest levels in Europe, something Roldan hasn't done despite his presence for the U.S. at international level.

Perhaps the best comparison for Vargas is a player that he could soon compete with on the USMNT: Tyler Adams. Like Vargas, Adams too broke through at a very young age, having shone for the New York Red Bulls as a teenager. Both jumped into MLS with incredible instincts as a No.6 and, like Vargas, Adams had plenty of work to do on the attacking end to catch that side of his game up to the pitbull mentality he had defensively.

At 23, Adams is starring for Leeds after a breakout World Cup in Qatar, where he captained the USMNT. The midfielder has also already played in the Champions League for RB Leipzig as well, scoring a memorable goal to fire them to the semi-finals in 2020. And there's no reason to believe that Vargas can't follow a similar trajectory from MLS to the top level of European soccer.

While a transfer decision is way, way down the line, Vargas may have a big decision to make at some point soon regarding his international future.

Eligible for both the U.S. and Mexico, Vargas looked like he was headed for a good ole fashioned dual national duel last summer before his back injury put all of that on hold.

He holds both Mexican and American citizenship, and his father played in the youth academy of Monarcas Morelia in his younger days. However, Vargas has only represented the U.S. internationally so far, having appeared for the U20s in 2022 at age 16.

“As a kid, or when I was younger, I always wanted to play for Mexico,” Vargas said last year. “I always grew up watching Mexico but I’ve joined the MLS academy, they’ve given me an opportunity. I’ve gone to U.S. national team camps and they’ve really been confident in me. It’s kind of leveled out the playing field. I still don’t know. My heart is in two spaces right now.”

That decision, though, is for another day. For Vargas, 2023 will be about rediscovering the form that made him one of MLS' breakout stars of 2022.

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