“`json
{
“title”: “Alaska’s Top Youth Soccer Players to Watch: Emerging Talent Heading to College Programs”,
“slug”: “alaska-top-youth-soccer-players-college-programs”,
“excerpt”: “A wave of Alaska high school soccer players, many trained through the Cook Inlet Soccer Club, has signed to compete at the college level over the past two years, continuing a pipeline that has also produced Major League Soccer talent.”,
“meta_description”: “Alaska soccer players from the Cook Inlet Soccer Club and area high schools are signing with college programs, continuing a pipeline that includes MLS player Obed Vargas.”,
“content_html”: “

Alaska high school soccer players are increasingly signing letters of intent to play at the college level, with a cluster of athletes from Anchorage’s Cook Inlet Soccer Club leading a trend that has developed over the past two years. The signings span Division I, Division II and NAIA programs across the country and follow a pathway that has also produced at least one current Major League Soccer player.

Alaska's Youth Soccer Pipeline Surges
Alaska's Youth Soccer Pipeline Surges

Cook Inlet Soccer Club Signings

In March 2025, twelve girls from the Cook Inlet Soccer Club signed to play soccer at the collegiate level. The players were high school rivals during their prep seasons but had trained together for years at The Dome in Anchorage during the winter months as club teammates, according to Alaska’s News Source.

The group, born in 2007, was the first Alaska club to win the National League Pro Wildcard Division and are two-time USYS Northwest conference champions, Alaska’s News Source reported.

Goalkeeper mid-dive making a save during a soccer match
Goalkeeper mid-dive making a save during a soccer match

Among that 2025 signing class, high school rivals and Cook Inlet teammates Faith Hughes of South High School and Parker Sullivan of Dimond High School both committed to join Idaho State University’s Division I soccer program, according to Alaska’s News Source.

The following year, the club’s pipeline continued. In May 2026, ten more Cook Inlet Soccer Club athletes — eight girls and two boys — signed to play college soccer, continuing what Alaska’s News Source described as a strong track record after roughly eleven players signed the prior year, according to Alaska’s News Source.

South High goalkeeper Samantha Stoehner was among the 2026 Cook Inlet signees, and South High Wolverine Brianna Bailey signed to play for Regis University, according to Alaska’s News Source.

Student athlete signing college commitment papers with family present
Student athlete signing college commitment papers with family present

A Pathway to the Professional Ranks

The Cook Inlet Soccer Club’s role in developing talent extends beyond the college ranks. Obed Vargas joined the club in his home state before moving to the Seattle Sounders Academy at age 14, according to the Seattle Sounders.

Vargas went on to become a Major League Soccer history-maker as a 15-year-old Anchorage product, and by 2024 he had grown into one of the league’s top young players, appearing in 40 matches for Seattle and earning the seventh spot on MLS’s 22 Under 22 list, according to his Wikipedia biography. His trajectory is often cited locally as evidence of the caliber of youth soccer development taking place in Anchorage.

Youth soccer team training session with Alaskan landscape backdrop
Youth soccer team training session with Alaskan landscape backdrop

Other Signings Around the State

Not every Alaska soccer player heading to college has come through the Cook Inlet club. In 2026 signing coverage, the Anchorage Daily News reported that Sage Phimmasone will compete in soccer at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, while Mary Jo Landon will play soccer at Central Washington University, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Soccer skills have also translated into other sports for some athletes. Colony High School’s Johnny Figgins, a four-year varsity soccer player for the Knights who also played football, signed to continue his athletic career at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he will play football. Figgins maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout high school, according to Alaska’s News Source.

Tracking the Trend Statewide

The signings among soccer players are part of a broader increase in college commitments among Alaska high school athletes. The Anchorage Daily News has tracked more than 60 college commitments from Alaska high school athletes in its ongoing signing roundup coverage, spanning multiple sports including soccer, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Professional soccer match being played in a modern stadium
Professional soccer match being played in a modern stadium

The pattern of Cook Inlet Soccer Club players signing en masse in consecutive years — twelve in 2025 and ten more in 2026 — suggests a sustained pipeline rather than an isolated class, based on the reporting from Alaska’s News Source and its follow-up coverage. Club officials have pointed to years of winter training at The Dome as a factor in preparing players for the transition to collegiate competition, according to the outlet’s 2025 report.

As more Alaska players sign with programs across Division I, Division II and NAIA ranks, the Cook Inlet Soccer Club and area high schools are likely to remain a focus for college recruiters and local media tracking the state’s youth soccer development.

”
}
“`

Sources