Obed Vargas could make history against Barcelona

Atletico Madrid hosts Barcelona at the Wanda Metropolitano on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.

Atletico is the only team from the Spanish capital still alive in this tournament, after Real Madrid was knocked out by second-tier side Albacete on Jan. 14.

This Copa matchup will feature Arizona-born player Obed Vargas, who left MLS club Seattle Sounders in January to sign with Atletico Madrid.

Vargas, 20, of Mexican parents, was born August 5, 2005, in Anchorage, Alaska. From a young age, he grew accustomed to traveling great distances to Arizona to begin playing soccer competitively, since Alaska is not, by any means, the most nurturing state for that sport.

Eventually, Vargas moved to Washington and joined the Sounders' youth academy in Seattle at age 14. After just two seasons, he joined the reserve club Tacoma Defiance, and two days after signing his contract, he debuted in the USL Championship against LA Galaxy II.

The young midfielder made his MLS debut in July 2021 at 15 years, 351 days old. He quickly became a key piece for Seattle.

On Feb. 2, Vargas made history and jumped directly from Washington to Madrid, and his signing by the LaLiga club was officially announced. "Atletico de Madrid and Seattle Sounders have reached an agreement for the transfer of Obed Vargas, who has signed for our club until 30 June 2030," the Spanish club wrote in its statement.

Obed Vargas has Alaska, Mexico and now all of Spain watching

The easy assumption was that the Mexican-American player would be immediately loaned to another club. And no, that was not the case. Vargas not only stayed at Atletico but also made his official debut three days later, in the Copa del Rey against Real Betis, a match his team won 5-0.

Head coach Diego Simeone again made clear he trusts the MLS product, and the following weekend, he gave him playing time again (20 minutes) in a league match, once again against Real Betis.

Everything indicates Vargas will see minutes against Barcelona on Thursday, which will mean the Sounders academy player will make history. There are no records of a soccer player from Alaska who has played for one of Spain's biggest clubs, nor of one who has faced what many consider the world's biggest club in an official competition, including a semifinal.

Pablo Barrios and USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso, both midfielders, did not participate in Atletico's last match due to a thigh injury and a muscle injury, respectively. A great opportunity for Vargas to carve out a spot in Simeone's squad.