Brian Gutiérrez shines in #10 role: "He needs to be a top player in this league"

When the Chicago Fire’s starting eleven is announced before every home game at Soldier Field, one player in particular receives the biggest roar from the crowd: Brian Gutiérrez.

The 20-year-old homegrown star established himself as a fan favorite long before what is now his fifth year as a professional, rightfully earning a big-money U-22 Initiative pay bump in the offseason.

However, the 2024 season has been far from perfect for “Guti.” The Fire have struggled near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and his performances have been inconsistent along with those of the team. Captain and Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri has also been head coach Frank Klopas’ go-to man in Gutiérrez’s preferred #10 role, pushing the youngster into a more unfamiliar wide role where he is, by his own admission, less comfortable and less effective.

Shaqiri’s sudden departure for Switzerland’s Euro 2024 camp two weeks ago changed the complexion of the Fire’s midfield, however. Gutiérrez, who had been in and out of the lineup at times in April, was handed the keys in a central position against D.C. United, a game where he looked both more confident and energetic. A rejuvenated offense pinned D.C. back for the majority of the second half, and the Fire earned a draw to snap a four-game losing run.

A few days later, against Orlando City, Gutiérrez once more provided a spark in midfield. It was in last Saturday’s showdown against the L.A. Galaxy, however, where he finally got his reward, as he was credited with an assist on Hugo Cuypers’ equalizer before smashing home a long-range winner in the second half to break the Fire’s nine-game winless streak. Gutiérrez has now scored in all three of the Fire's wins this season, including game-winning goals in two of them.

“He's taking more initiative and stuff like that,” Klopas said of his young starlet. “I've told him that he's a guy that can make a difference in games. And when Shaqiri is here, maybe he relies a lot on Shaqiri to do a lot of the load. Now, it's not that he has to do it all by himself, but he's taken more of that initiative and he's growing as a player.”

“Even though he's very young, he's becoming more mature in his ability to have a big impact for the team over 90 minutes. Not just flashes, because we all see flashes, but to be at the next level, which he can be, it's about doing it over 90 minutes, and doing it consistently. And that's what I've told him.”

Klopas is far from the only believer in Guti’s potential. In terms of raw talent, few players in North American soccer can match his level. His recent performances are an indicator that despite an up-and-down start to the 2024 season, the game-changing ability he possesses when he’s at his best isn’t going anywhere.

Shaqiri’s absence has also inevitably become a point of discussion for the Fire, in large part because of what Gutiérrez has been able to do in the short time since he departed for the Euros. Whether by circumstance or inevitability, the Fire are unbeaten in the three games since, and Guti has been pulling the strings from his favorite role.

“I’m in a more comfortable role where I feel like I can play my best football,” Gutiérrez said after the Galaxy game. “You can see it. I feel like I’m more composed on the ball, and I honestly feel much more comfortable in the middle.”

“I’m trying to fill [Shaqiri’s] role and do the most that I can.”

The shift back to the middle will only benefit him as he seeks to make the team his own, something that was difficult from an unnatural wide position for the bulk of this season so far. Shaqiri’s presence as a roughly $30 million investment and team captain meant that Gutiérrez would, by default, be in a supporting role and one that didn’t get the most out of his talent.

Now, with Shaqiri out of the picture for, at the very least, a few weeks, Guti has that opportunity he’s been waiting for. Klopas knows that if the Fire are to make an unlikely summer resurgence, Gutiérrez will have to match his sky-high bar and will need the team to run through the homegrown star.

“I want this kid to reach the level that he can,” Klopas said. “If he doesn't, I'm gonna blame only him because we're all here to help him, and he has that quality. And I'm not going to let him relax, I wouldn't be doing my job. He has too much quality. He needs to be a top player in this league, because he can be.”