Soccer <\/p>\n
RENTON, Wash. \u2013 Obed Vargas<\/a> may not fit the typical profile or have the conventional origin story of a globally sought-after prospect.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n But when Seattle Sounders FC<\/a> begin their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup<\/a> campaign against Brazilian side Botafogo on Sunday, the 19-year-old midfielder from Anchorage, Alaska will draw plenty of eyes from European scouts and sporting directors \u2013 perhaps more than any player in the tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, what I\u2019d say is I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a club in the world that doesn\u2019t know who he is,\u201d Sounders general manager and chief soccer officer Craig Waibel told reporters of Vargas after a recent training session.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, anyone who\u2019s got analytics, he\u2019s triggered and kind of set off the red alarms.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Vargas readily admits that Anchorage isn\u2019t known as a hotbed of young talent.<\/p>\n He was an accomplished youth player for the local Cook Inlet Soccer Club, winning four State Cups. But competition against the \u2018lower 48\u2019 states frequently offered reality checks, sowing some doubt in his mind as to exactly how advanced his game really was.<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up playing soccer in Alaska is definitely unique,\u201d Vargas told the Breakaway film crew. \u201cIt’s not the same as everywhere else. Not as many teams. Not as [much] competition. There are maybe four or five teams in the whole state.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you could tell, the level in Alaska wasn’t as high and wasn’t as competitive as the lower 48,” he added. \u201cAnd I always knew that \u2026 I kind of took [the success] with a grain of salt because, yeah, we were the best team here in Alaska. But once you step out of Alaska, I thought we were going to be the worst.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so that kind of always kept me grounded, kept me humble because I knew I was the best player here in Alaska. But I didn’t know how far that was going to get me.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing up in a soccer-crazed household helped. Vargas\u2019 father, Obed Sr., was once an aspiring pro in his own right in his native Mexico with the Monarcas Morelia Academy.<\/p>\n After concluding his playing career and moving from Mexico to Anchorage, the Vargas family patriarch instilled his love for the game in Obed Jr. and his siblings \u2013 a passion that only grew stronger as they got older.<\/p>\n His father\u2019s undying love and devotion to the Mexican national team were among the reasons Obed Jr. cited for his decision to represent El Tri at the international level, after initially featuring for the United States on the youth circuit.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born with it. You see it around the house,\u201d Vargas said. \u201c…You know, everything’s kind of soccer-related in the house. And everything kind of had a connection to Mexico soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n As his game progressed, Vargas’ childhood dream of going professional became an increasingly realistic proposition. But to make it happen, he knew he would have to make the difficult decision to leave Anchorage.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n Alaskan roots<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n