Obed Vargas welcomed back with open arms
RENTON — Walking to the locker room after being ejected from a match against the Seattle Sounders’ biggest rivals, Obed Vargas had an overwhelming feeling he had just let down his teammates.
That they still managed to tie the Portland Timbers 1-1 in their regular-season finale was some relief, but it was the support of his teammates that really helped him get past the frustration.
“They told me it was a derby match,” Vargas said. “Maybe I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I could do better in that. But we had to move on quick.
“It can really get you down if you dwell on those things.”
Sounders captain Stefan Frei said being able to quickly move beyond situations like that has been key to the team’s success this year.
“Sometimes when we’re in a huddle I say that we we have to be ready and excited for our teammates to make mistakes because it’s giving us a chance to show that we want to bail them out,” Frei told reporters following Friday’s training session. “Obviously when someone gets a red card, it’s hard to bail them out, but you try.
“I think the team team tries to dig deep and and and find another level to to rectify that error. And that kind of goes on throughout the game and throughout the whole season. That’s what shows when you’re a strong unit.”
It was a bit of a roller-coaster of emotions for Vargas, who had just returned from earning his first senior national team cap with Mexico a few days before the Timbers game. His teammates apparently used that to help defuse any sense that they were upset with Vargas.
“Some of the guys joked with me that I brought back the Mexican side,” Vargas said. “When they joke with you about that, it helps you feel supported and they have your back. The whole team helped me like that.”
Now, Vargas is hoping to make up for lost time. Without him, the Sounders managed to squeak out a win in a penalty shootout in Game 1 of their playoff series against Houston and now have a chance to clinch the series with another win on Sunday.
Although Jordan Morris is most likely out with a hamstring injury, having Vargas back could be a boost to an offense that struggled to generate high-quality chances in the first game. Vargas was second on the team with eight assists and was third on the team in goal-creating actions (14).
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer noted that Cristian Roldan has been at his best this season playing in more of a holding role. With João Paulo sliding into the lineup for Vargas that created a bit of redundancy.
“Obed has the range to get up and down a field and get himself in dangerous spots,” Schmetzer said. “It gives us a more fluid look, which is gonna help us.”
Training updates
- As expected, Morris trained exclusively on the side again on Friday. Schmetzer has indicated he’s most likely to give Morris the game off with the hope of having him ready for a potential Game 3.
- The Sounders once again closed out training with penalties, something they’ve done with much greater regularity this season than in any previous season due in large part to now having played in three tournaments that utilize the tie-settling device. One of the more impressive displays was turned in by 15-year-old Sounders Academy player Omar Hassan, who calmly rolled his attempt into the net after sending Frei the wrong way. Notably, Frei had just made a save on the previous attempt he faced.