Chicago Fire 2, St. Louis CITY 1 | Man of the Match
The Chicago Fire crushed a visiting St. Louis team 2-1 at Bridgeview tonight, advancing to the last 16 of the U.S. Open Cup in the process. While a number of players put in great shifts on the night, including Miguel Ángel Navarro and Federico Navarro, none stood out more than 19-year-old homegrown Brian Gutiérrez, our man of the match.
Figuring out how to effectively fit Guti into the lineup alongside DP Xherdan Shaqiri is a dilemma that Ezra Hendrickson couldn’t find the answer to during his tenure, but interim Frank Klopas did opt to name them both to tonight’s eleven. Shaq started at the #10, whereas Guti was played out on the left wing, though it is not his preferred position. In the first half, he always looked dangerous and drove at defenders as he likes to do.
Gutiérrez did inadvertently cause Klopas to pick up a yellow card when he was fouled and the Fire’s coach was very unhappy with the referee’s decision not to grant a card, but of course that isn’t his fault.
In the second period, he really came to life. His playmaking was superb, and it was clear that he was the Fire’s most dangerous attacker. In the 75th minute, Guti provided a magnificent backheel assist to Fabian Herbers, who scored what would prove to be the game-winner.
Creating four chances over the course of the match, including two “big” chances, it’s impossible to deny the influecne the teenage wonder had on the match. It will certainly leave U.S. national team fans wondering what could have been when the U-20 World Cup roster drops tomorrow without his name.
