Obed Vargas
At 14, Anchorage’s Obed Vargas joined the Seattle Sounders Academy.
When he was 15, he became the third-youngest player to start a game in the MLS.
Now he’s 16 and the Alaskan just played a pivotal role in helping the Sounders become the first MLS team to win the Concacaf Champions League title.
Called on to fill in for injured reigning MVP finalist Joao Paulo, Vargas logged 71 minutes to help Seattle beat Mexican power Pumas 3-0 in front of 68,741 fans at Lumen Field in the Emerald City.
Fifteen minutes after Vargas entered the match, the Sounders took a 1-0 lead and went on to clobber Pumas, making Seattle the first winners of the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup in the Champions League era.
The Sounds may need to lean on Vargas more than ever this season in the MLS as Paulo is expected to miss the entire season.
Big loss for Seattle to be without João Paulo the rest of the season. Huge opportunity for 16-year-old Obed Vargas, who was solid on the big stage last night. https://t.co/vExMWslSei
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) May 6, 2022