Former Sounders star Obed Vargas earns World Cup chance with Mexico's national team
The idea wasn't outlandish.
"We have televisions," Obed Vargas quipped after a Sounders training last year. The central midfielder was on the cusp of playing his all-time favorite team - Spain's Atlético Madrid - in the FIFA Men's Club World Cup and asked how he knew so much about the team. Born amid the inception of social media and YouTube, access to anything was possible as a youth and Vargas landed on soccer.
It didn't matter that the now 20-year-old was raised in Anchorage, Alaska, where moose sightings are a regular on the school playgrounds. Inside his Mexican American home, life circled around the sport. If he wasn't talking about the game with his parents, he was playing with his siblings or watching clips on his phone, striving to get better.
Able to see his dream play out for others, a path revealed itself and Vargas followed to his ultimate destination - the World Cup roster for Mexico. El Tri will begin its quest Thursday against South Africa.
Vargas joins Brian Gutiérrez as the only U.S.-born players on Mexico's roster and first since 2014. Californians Miguel Ángel Ponce (Sacramento) and Isaac Brizuela (San Jose) didn't log a minute in that tournament held in Brazil.
"Mexican American players have always been here; the quality has always been there," Vargas said after he was named to the team in May. "The passion of the sport is growing in the United States and has fueled a lot of the players. It's amazing that there's a lot of Mexican Americans doing well in the national team for the U.S. and Mexico. Dreams come true for kids and it keeps inspiring those Mexican Americans that are coming through in the U.S."
Gutiérrez, 22, mirrored Vargas in beginning his career through an MLS academy. But born in Berwyn, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago, it was easier for the attacking midfielder to get noticed by the Chicago Fire FC.
After a six-year career with the Fire, Gutiérrez was transferred to Liga MX's Chivas de Guadalajara in December 2025, where he caught the attention of Mexican national team coach Javier Aguirre.
Vargas was recruited by the Sounders and left Anchorage at age 14 to follow his dreams. But he was carrying love for both the U.S. and Mexico, playing for the Stars and Stripes the youth level.
Tactical ability to break lines and generate goal-scoring opportunities in addition to defending made Vargas instantly stand out. He made his MLS debut at age 15 and his maturity was tested when he a replaced an injured João Paulo during the opening half the Sounders' 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup final win.
Vargas quickly became a mainstay starter in Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer's system, but wasn't on the radar for senior teams for Mexico or the U.S. It didn't matter after he watched the U.S. men's national team defeat Mexico for the CONCACAF Nations League title in March 2024.
"I was more hurt that Mexico lost," Vargas said at the time. "You could tell inside, that's where my heart was."
FIFA, soccer's governing body, approved a one-time association change from the U.S. to Mexico for Vargas in May 2024. He received his first call-up for Mexico in October but still wasn't in the conversation until an approximate $3 million transfer to Atléti last winter.
Against European competition, Vargas proved his talent is elite and there's consistency to his game. In four months, he started eight of his 13 matches for Atléti, through all competitions. Atlético finished fourth in LaLiga table and qualified for the 2026-27 Champions League.
"(They) are two young people with Mexican blood who are very good players," Aguirre said, as translated from Spanish. "They have grown a lot in the last few years. We called them up and they were convincing to us about joining the Mexican national soccer team."
It's questionable whether Vargas makes the field during the World Cup because of the depth of talent Aguirre has on his roster.
This quadrennial tournament is historic in its size with Mexico joining the U.S. and Canada to host 48 teams. El Tri is pegged to finish atop its Group A and is feeling added pressure to make the knockout rounds after not advancing past the group stage in Qatar in 2022 - a first for the country since 1978.
FIFA appointed Mexico to kickoff this year's World Cup with a spectacle at the famed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Seating capacity can balloon to 90,000 people.
Mexico will continue group-stage play against Korea Republic at Guadalajara Stadium on June 18. They'll return to Mexico City to face Czechia in its final group match on June 24.
"It really makes me happy because they are people who by circumstance weren't born in natural territory but love the country and have proved it by choosing to play for Mexico," Aguirre said of Vargas and Gutiérrez.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 5:03 PM.