Soccer <\/p>\n
AUSTIN, Texas \u2013 The 2025 MLS All-Star Game is an exhibition, a friendly match showcasing the league\u2019s best players and its deepening rivalry with LIGA MX.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
For Obed Vargas<\/a>, Wednesday’s match at Austin FC<\/a>‘s Q2 Stadium is also an opportunity (9 pm ET | Apple TV – Free<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The 19-year-old Seattle Sounders FC<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n If all goes to plan, it\u2019s another game that can help him earn a place on El Tri’s FIFA 2026 World Cup squad.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single time I get to face one of those teams or if it\u2019s 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,\u201d Vargas told MLSsoccer.com after training Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cI think these games, being able to match up 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a great opportunity for me to do well and show why I should be on that roster.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n An Alaska native eligible for Mexico thanks to his parents, Vargas isn\u2019t the only youngster trying to make Javier Aguirre consider a youth movement as the Mexico manager puts together his 2026 World Cup squad.<\/p>\n Tijuana midfielder Gilberto Mora, a 16-year-old, started El Tri\u2019s three knockout matches as they lifted the Concacaf Gold Cup<\/a>, a tournament Vargas missed because of the Sounders\u2019 participation in the FIFA Club World Cup<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n While they\u2019ll be rivals on Wednesday, Vargas knows Mora well after rooming with him at a Mexico U-20 camp.<\/p>\n \u201cI get along with him super well and super happy to see him perform well in the Gold Cup,” Vargas said. \u201cI feel like he\u2019s kind of changing the mindset in Mexico and the Mexico national team, putting more trust into the young guys. That\u2019s only going to help us other young guys that are doing really well in the Mexican league and MLS.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n OBED \u2b50\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/20c8WwYMfh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Vargas has enjoyed a fast rise to stardom, 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 Ra\u00fal Ruid\u00edaz\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n That connection to Morelia remains strong, though the team\u2019s move to Mazatl\u00e1n and re-emergence in the Mexican second division means Vargas is unlikely to go to his family\u2019s hometown any time soon. While many LIGA MX teams have stated their interest in adding Vargas to their squads, the midfielder sees his future outside of North America.<\/p>\n Maybe, after that, he imagines a romantic end to his career surrounded by his family in Mexico.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dream would be to go to Europe. I don\u2019t close the doors on anyone. I know right now there\u2019s a lot of interest from the Mexican league, but I have my eyes pretty set on Europe,\u201d Vargas said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor 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 \u2026 but for now, Europe is my goal for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a standout here, being one of the best players in the league, being an All-Star gives me a huge boost,\u201d said Vargas, who’s reportedly nearing a U22 Initiative contract extension. \u201cI try to go day-by-day, I don\u2019t think too far ahead. I know the best thing I can do right now is focus on my club with the Sounders.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\nCrossing paths<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Dreaming big<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n