Obed Vargas’ stock has been — to borrow a term — a rocket to the moon. At this point last year, he was playing for the Sounders Academy with few outside the organization knowing much about him at all. Since then, he’s not only become one of the youngest players to ever appear in an MLS game but is now regularly starting for a team that just won Concacaf Champions League.
His fortunes in the U.S. national team setup have also been rising. A year ago, he’d just gotten his first invitation to a U15 camp.