RENTON — Obed Vargas may be sticking around a little longer than has long been assumed.
Talking to media on Thursday, Seattle Sounders general manager Craig Waibel indicated he’s not in any rush to move the talented midfielder.
Vargas has previously indicated that if he were to leave, he wants to go to Europe. Waibel acknowledged he’s received plenty of interest in Vargas, but said the Sounders have yet to receive any offers they’d deem serious.
Given that Vargas is a nearly written-in-ink starter for Brian Schmetzer’s side, Waibel seems more than happy to keep him absent the kind of offer both team and player would find acceptable.
“I’m the general manager of the Sounders,” Waibel said. “I’m not the CFO or the banker. I have a job and that job is to win. That’s made clear every ownership call I’m on. The job here is to win and raise trophies. Make no mistake, I’m interested in competitive teams and performance.
“That’s something I’ve talked openly with Obed about. He’s a mature young man and we’ve had some great conversations. He understands where I’m coming from. I understand where he’s coming from. We’ll evaluate if things come up.”
Injury updates
- Albert Rusnák and Jesús Ferreira were both somewhat limited in training this week but have progressed enough that they will both travel to Houston and were deemed “ready to play” by Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer.
- Jackson Ragen, however, will not travel to either Houston or LA, but might be available for the Portland Timbers match on May 17. “There were a couple of things we wanted to get right before we put him on the field,” Schmetzer said. “He’ll be delayed another three or four training sessions.”
