TUKWILA — It’s not very often that a 16-year-old finds himself in a tug-of-war between his club team and a youth national team. Even though youth tournaments are often held outside of international windows, club teams are often more than happy for their young players to get meaningful minutes against reasonably high-level opponents.
As is becoming more and more apparent, Obed Vargas is not a typical 16-year-old. Since starting the season-opener, Vargas has established himself as a regular contributor and has already logged more than 1,100 first-team minutes across all competitions this season.
With João Paulo’s injury, Vargas’ role within the team has grown even more important.