Alaska soccer wunderkind Obed Vargas notched another impressive achievement Wednesday when he was named to the United States roster for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup this summer in Argentina.
He joins a small list of Alaskans who have been named to a U.S. national soccer team. At 17, he’s easily the youngest player on the 21-player squad.
“I was excited when I got the call,” Vargas said by phone while en route to San Juan, Argentina, where the Americans will begin group play on May 20. “I’m proud of myself for all the work I’ve put into this.”
Being one of the youngest guys on a team is nothing new for Vargas. The midfielder typically played up a year or two for the Cook Inlet Soccer Club growing up in Anchorage, and he became the third youngest to play in an MLS game when he stepped on the pitch for the Seattle Sounders as a 14-year-old.
“Playing for the Sounders against grown men has helped prepare me for this,” said Vargas, who has been a mainstay in Seattle’s midfield this season. “Even playing in Alaska against older kids I was one of the smallest players. They were always challenging me to be better.”
Making a national soccer team is rarified air for an Alaskan. Vargas joins a short list that notably includes Chugiak High grad Kelly Cobb, a member of multiple U.S. Women’s National Teams who helped the U.S. win the U20 World Cup in Japan in 2012.
For those that have watched Vargas grow up, Wednesday’s news felt like a natural progression for a prodigiously talented kid with a fierce work ethic.
Vargas in action with the Seattle Sounders
Tim Valesko, the Cook Inlet Soccer Club director of coaching, saw the promise when Vargas was a 5-year-old. While Valesko played adult league soccer with Obed Vargas Sr., the younger Vargas would kick a ball around with his siblings on the sidelines.
“I remember thinking this kid has potential,” Valesko said. “You could tell right way.”
“… He was always working. And always with a smile on his face.”
Vargas practicing with the national team.
Brian Lux, the Alaska Youth Soccer development program director, saw the potential too.
“He is showing what all of us up here thought he could do, he has a very high ceiling and we are happy and proud to see him take this next step and represent at the national team level,” Lux said via text.
“Every kid dreams of playing in a World Cup but very few actually get to do so,” Lux added. “We will all be cheering him on!”
The U-20 World Cup will feature 24 countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-place teams, advance to the Round of 16. From there, the tournament will feature a knockout bracket to the tournament final.
MARBELLA, SPAIN – MARCH 25: Obed Vargas during a game between England and USMNT U-20 at Marbella Football Centre on March 25, 2023 in Marbella, Spain.
The Americans kick off Group B play on Saturday, May 20, against Ecuador. They face Fiji on Tuesday, May 23, and close the group stage versus Slovakia on Friday, May 26. All three matches kick off at 10 a.m. ADT and will be shown on FOX Sports and Telemundo platforms.
The U.S. is the only nation to reach the quarterfinals in the last three U-20 World Cups and one of three countries to qualify for the last five editions of the tournament, along with New Zealand and Uruguay.
And while soccer has taken the young Vargas from the sidelines of his dad’s Anchorage adult league games to the bright lights of the World Cup in Argentina, he has never forgotten his roots.
“My dad always told me ‘Never forget where you came from, never forget where you’re going,’ ” Vargas said. “I never forget Alaska and the Alaska soccer community and everything it’s done for me.”