The Freddy Vargas Story
Just to refresh your memory, Freddy “Pico” Vargas is something of a young veteran in his home country of Venezuela, logging four different seasons with more than 1,000 played minutes for his home-state club of Deportivo Lara at ages 17 to 21. That kind of experience is impressive, but Vargas didn’t stand out enough during that time to earn more than a single U20 cap for his troubles. However, in his final season in Venezuela, the shortened 2020 campaign, Vargas led a young DL squad to a second-place finish in its group, collected five goals and three assists, and was runner up in Player of the Year voting.