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United States Mauricio Vargas has transitioned from a professional football goalkeeper from Costa Rica to a respected goalkeeping coach and coordinator with American teams, sharing his extensive experience with aspiring athletes.
Mauricio Vargas is associated with FC Wichita as a former professional footballer and currently as a Goalkeeper Director/Coordinator. He played for them as a professional footballer and is now part of their technical staff.
Mauricio Vargas is the Director of Strategic Growth & Partnerships at Advance Talent Hub.
Mauricio Vargas played for Alajuelense, the football team where he started his youth career.
Vargas was part of the academy of Albacete Balompié in Spain.
Vargas played college soccer for the Barton Cougars.
Vargas played college soccer for the Friends Falcons and later became a Goalkeeping Coach for the team.
Vargas signed his first professional contract with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League.
Vargas played for Asociación Deportiva Guanacasteca in the Primera División Costa Rica.
Mauricio José Vargas Campos, born on August 10, 1992, in Somerville, New Jersey, began his football journey in Alajuela, Costa Rica, playing outfield for Liga Deportiva Alajuelense’s academy at age nine. He later transitioned to a goalkeeper at 13. In 2010, Vargas moved to Spain to join the academy of Albacete Balompié before returning to the United States for college. He played college soccer for Barton Community College for three years and then transferred to Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, where he also played for their team and graduated with a degree in physical education in 2016.
During his time at Friends University, Vargas also competed for FC Wichita of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2015. He made 14 appearances for the club, recording 6 shutouts and maintaining a 0.79 goals against average, helping FC Wichita secure the NPSL South Central Conference title in their inaugural season. His performance attracted interest from Major League Soccer clubs such as Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, FC Dallas, and Sporting Kansas City. In December 2015, Vargas signed his first professional contract with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League (USL).
Vargas made his professional debut on May 14, 2016, earning USL Team of the Week honors for his performance against FC Cincinnati. His international career included representing Costa Rica at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, playing every minute of every match in both tournaments. He was also involved with the Costa Rican Under-23 team in 2015 and appeared in five matches for Costa Rica during the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Today, Vargas works as a goalkeeping coach for Friends Falcons and a goalkeeping coordinator for FC Wichita, leveraging his professional playing experience to develop new talent.
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