Obed Gómez Vargas

Obed Vargas grew up playing in Anchorage before joining Cook Inlet SC and then moving into the Seattle Sounders academy in 2019. He made his senior debut for Seattle in 2021, the same year he also turned out for the reserve side, Tacoma Defiance, and by December of that year had signed a four-year contract with the club. His time in Seattle brought the CONCACAF Champions League in 2022 and the Leagues Cup in 2025, a season in which he was also named an MLS All-Star and a finalist for the league's Young Player of the Year award, and was included in the IFFHS Men's Youth CONCACAF Best XI.

His international story took an unusual turn. Having come through the United States setup at under-20 and under-23 level, Vargas completed a one-time FIFA switch to Mexico in May 2024, making his senior debut for El Tri that October in a friendly against the USA. He has since earned caps for Mexico and was named to the squad for the 2026 World Cup. He remains eligible for Spain as well, through his mother.

In February 2026, Atlético Madrid signed him from Seattle in a deal worth around €3–3.5 million, with add-ons that could take the total higher, and tied him down on a contract running to 2030. The move took him from MLS into one of Spain's biggest clubs at central midfield.