Just days after Obed Vargas transferred to Atlético Madrid, the former Seattle Sounders homegrown player has already taken the next step along his journey by debuting with his new club.
Vargas stepped on the field for the first time as an Atléti player as his side thumped Real Betis in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, 5-0. In the 79th minute with his side already up by four goals, Vargas entered the game as Atlético’s final substitute.
During his brief time on the field, he had 7 touches, won the lone ground duel he got into, drew a foul, and completed 4/6 passes with one into the final third. It wasn’t much, but it was something to build on and the beginning of a dream being realized as he got to put on a jersey he’s imagined wearing for years.
When the final whistle blew Vargas could be seen hugging and high-fiving his new teammates, with several senior members of the team embracing him in a very sweet moment.
Vargas and Atleti advanced to the semifinals with the win; they’ll learn their opponent during a draw on Friday, February 6. The remaining teams that they could face are FC Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Athletic Club Bilbao. The semifinal will be played over two legs between February 10-12 and March 3-5.
Before those matches Vargas should have plenty of opportunities to continue to establish himself in the squad. With a rematch against Real Betis in league play this weekend and a home and away series in the Champions League Round of 16 against Club Brugge, Madrid could be in need of their new midfield signing as minutes pile up, with some absences potentially piling up as well. Johnny Cardoso was forced out of contention for today’s match with a muscle injury that may keep him out until the end of the month, and star midfielder Pablo Barrios had to come off with an injury after 50 minutes against Betis. Barrios had previously been dealing with a muscle injury as well. Vargas and fellow midfield signing Rodrigo Mendoza both made their debuts in this match, and with Koke being the only other healthy central midfielder there are minutes up for grabs in the coming weeks.
