Is Kerwin Vargas ready to make an impact por la Corona?

CHARLOTTE FC

Charlotte FC forward Kerwin Vargas celebrates after scoring Saturday against Orlando in the Crown's 2-1 win, their first of the season.

In the first start of the second season with Charlotte FC, Kerwin Vargas scored his first goal for the club, the eventual game-winner in a 2-1 victory at Orlando.

“Victoria importante para nuestro equipo! Muy contento por mi primer gol con esta camiseta! Vamos por más! Gloria a Dios,” he wrote on Twitter. “Important victory for our team! Very happy for my first goal with this shirt! Let's go for more! Glory to God.”

More is exactly what Vargas’ coaches, teammates and fans want to see from the 21-year-old born in Concordia, a small town in the far northern state of Magdalena in Colombia. He had come off the bench in the first three matches, but had yet to make an impact in three losses.

Against Orlando, Vargas had three of Charlotte’s eight shots and two of the four on target. After the game, coach Christian Lattanzio recognized his “quality,” along with the play of Enzo Copetti and Harrison Afful as keys in the result.

While happy to get his first goal, Vargas said Tuesday afternoon that he was more pleased with the team’s first win of the season.

Signed in last May, Vargas, then 20, was not on the squad for his first two matches in Charlotte.

When he finally took the field on May 22 in the 65th minute of what was then a 1-1 battle with Vancouver, Vargas immediately electrified the crowd, taking a pass from Joseph Mora down the left touchline. The Colombian, driving into the box with his first touches of the game, unleashed a wicked shot with his left foot that was deflected out for a corner kick by the Whitecaps keeper at the near post.

Barely a minute later, Vargas took a pass about five yards out from the top corner of the penalty area, faced down the approaching defender, and touched the ball onto his right foot for a low, hard shot that scooted just wide of the far post. His presence grabbed the attention of everyone in the building, including the Whitecaps defense. When Daniel Rios eventually scored the winner, five minutes from time in a 2-1 decision for the Crown, Vargas was the first to celebrate with him.

He came off the bench in the next game, a 2-1 loss at Seattle but out of the next 11 matches, he would make just three appearances and not even dress for four. Then would come a stretch of eight starts in nine games, seven straight, as Charlotte fought for but missed a spot in the playoffs.

From Colombia to Europe to Charlotte

Vargas’ family moved to Santa Marta when he was three and his soccer career began in earnest at Club Atlético Santa Marta, from where he left for Boca Juniors de Cali, a club inspired by the more famous Argentine side. Speaking to Charlotte media on Tuesday, Vargas says that he knew he might be good enough to have a professional career when he was 13.

After a short stint in Cali, Vargas ventured across the Atlantic where he had trials with teams such as Sampdoria, Spal, and Torino in Italy, Levante in Spain, as well as Vitória and Porto in Portugal. He was with Portuguese second division side C.D. Feirense when Charlotte lured him to MLS on a permanent transfer. He was the team’s second U-22 initiative player.

Created to foster the growth of young players, the U22 Initiative “allows MLS clubs to sign up to three young players, age 22 and younger, to lucrative contracts at a reduced budget charge, decreasing the risk associated with acquiring or retaining players who are still approaching their prime.”

It can be used for Homegrown signings and SuperDraft picks, as well as players from outside the U.S. and Canada who are signing their first MLS contract.

Intensity

When asked about what made the biggest impression on him during his time in Portugal, Vargas responded via translator: “The intensity. The intensity in which they play with.”

He added that it is the intensity that he loves most about the game. That experience should also be of benefit to him here. The intensity and physicality of the MLS game is oft-mentioned by newcomers to the league as if they were expecting something easier from the game in North America.

That intensity comes not only in games but in training as well where earning a place in the first eleven is determined.

“Every practice is a game (for us). We practice very hard during the week. Lattanzio knows we will give 100 percent every practice session.”

He adds that the camaraderie is there regardless of who gets the call on game day. “We support whoever is playing in the starting eleven or coming off the bench.”

Vargas noted that the defensive side was also emphasized in Portugal, and that this is a frequent subject in his conversations with head coach Christian Lattanzio and something he continues to work on.

Lattanzio often jokes that his Italian birth has made strong defense a part of his DNA, so focus and dedication on that side of the ball will see opportunities expand not only for Vargas but all Charlotte players.

Vargas said he has a good connection with the coach. “We have a great relationship. We talk; he explains things to me, so yes, we have a really good relationship.”
When asked, he wouldn’t differentiate starting versus coming off the bench, saying his mindset is always the same, going full speed and bringing the energy regardless of when he enters the match.

He says that getting to the point where Lattanzio wants them is a work in progress. “We work every week hard, and we try to adapt to the system that he wants. There for sure are players who are (more) adapted, and you could see it in the past game with the result.”

As for the early results, “our system has created a lot of chances but unfortunately, they never went in.”

Maturing on and off the pitch

Along with the responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete, Vargas admits he is also maturing as he is now a father with a daughter to raise.
“I don't have words for how happy I am with my daughter,” he said. “It completely changed my way of thinking. I'm young, I've only had a daughter for less than a year. It changed me completely.”

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