Ready to shine: Q&A with NM United's Marlon Vargas

Marlon Vargas hasn’t fully established himself with the New Mexico United faithful just yet.

He hasn’t had much of an opportunity.

The 24-year-old midfielder and Bakersfield, California, native did make a positive first impression late last season, joining United on loan from MLS NEXT Pro’s Colorado Rapids 2. Vargas appeared in eight matches and netted one goal, that coming in NMU’s regular-season finale.

It then appeared Vargas’ New Mexico tenure would be short-lived. During the offseason, the club announced it was parting ways with several of its 2024 players, Vargas among them. But shortly after signing Dennis Sanchez as its new coach, United re-signed Vargas for 2025.

The move has paid immediate dividends. Vargas has been everywhere in United’s first two matches and shares the club lead with an assist and three chances created.

He also gets at least partial credit for NMU’s dramatic game-winning goal in the final minute of stoppage time last weekend in Las Vegas. Vargas’ bending corner kick deflected off Lights FC goalkeeper Nicholas Ammeter’s hands, hit the near post and ended up in the net to give New Mexico a 3-2 win.

United’s Will Seymore was credited with the goal, but had the ball already crossed the line when Seymore chipped it in?

Question: Even after watching video replays, it’s hard to tell exactly what happened on that play. What’s your perspective on it?

Answer: (Smiles) From my angle, I saw the ball cross the line after the keeper hit it off the post. I saw it cross the line, so that’s why I started celebrating. To be honest, I didn’t even see Will hit it in until I watched it back. He hit into the back of the net obviously. But when I saw it go off the post and cross the line, I saw (teammates Daniel Bruce and Kris Shakes) coming right toward me. Guys were jumping on top of me so I thought, ‘Surely it’s my goal.’ Will got the credit for it, but it’s really just a funny debate to have. Some players on the team were saying it was my goal, other guys were saying it was Will’s. I guess Will kind of won the debate, but at the end of the day, I’m just happy we came away with three points. That’s the important thing.

Question: It was kind of an odd offseason for you after playing eight matches here last year. What was it like when the club announced you were not coming back?

Answer: It was actually pretty funny. We have a players’ group chat that Kalen (Ryden) runs. He was sending messages to the guys who were not returning and giving us a chance to post our last messages. I knew there was a strong chance I was coming back, so I was wondering if I should answer. I decided I’ll send a message and if the deal goes through, it goes through. A couple days later the club announced I was coming back. Everyone welcomed me but the group chat was like, ‘Why did you say you were leaving?’

Question: What made you want to stay in New Mexico?

Answer: I love the atmosphere. I played against New Mexico in 2019 when I was with Tacoma Defiance and the atmosphere from the fans was just unreal. You hate playing against these fans because, you know, they really get into it. It’s different playing for our fans. You know they’re rooting for you and behind you in everything you do. I’m really excited to play more games at the Lab and hopefully give a good showing.

Question: What did you know about New Mexico when you came here?

Answer: I knew a lot about Las Cruces because my girlfriend went to New Mexico State and I visited her there. I didn’t know much about Albuquerque, but now that I’ve experienced it, it’s a lot like home in terms of the weather. It’s hot, dry, not too cold in the winter. It’s a lot like home, to be honest.

Question: What are your individual goals for this season?

Answer: I’ve talked to Dennis about it. First half of the season, I want to try to achieve eight goals, five assists and move on from there. That would be huge for me on a personal level.

Question: How about team goals?

Answer: I want to win a championship this year. I feel like last year we didn’t reach our expectations, which were really high. This season, guys are asking, ‘Why not?’ I ask myself that question a lot. Why can’t we achieve that goal of taking it all the way? We have the talent, management brought in a good coach to lead us, so I’m very excited. Hopefully we can bring a championship to New Mexico.