Gutman trains? Brady and Gutiérrez snubs? The latest Chicago Fire updates

The Chicago Fire’s Soldier Field showdown with high-flying CF Montréal is less than 24 hours away, and the Men in Red trained on the lakefront ahead of the unusual 1 p.m. kickoff. A host of international call-ups overshadowed the Friday news cycle, however, with several Fire players sparking plenty of discussion. Also, Fire II secured reinforcements for the potential U.S. Open Cup run, and the presence of a certain Fire fullback at training gives fans reason for optimism.

Gutman back in training, Navarro out

The most notable news from the Fire’s Friday training session at Soldier Field was that left back Andrew Gutman, who went down with injury less than two minutes into his opening day debut, warmed up with the team. Gutman had not been present at training prior to this week since being substituted mere moments into the first game of 2024 at Philadelphia.

The 28-year-old then proceeded to train individually on the side after warmups concluded, but the fact that he’s back on the field and back with the main group is an encouraging sign for Frank Klopas. Though ruled out for the Montréal game, Gutman seems close to a comeback; it remains to be seen if road games on turf at New England and Atlanta are the best way to phase him back in following a non-contact injury, but it fits with his original recovery timeline, thought to be around a month.

Fede Navarro was also ruled out for tomorrow’s game despite appearing in the Fire’s first three games of the season. An upper leg issue sustained during the week made him unavailable after he was a late substitute in the matches against Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

Brady, Guti not called up to U-23s; Gaga, Esmir called in

U.S. Olympic team boss Marko Mitrović named his 22-man squad for a pair of friendlies this morning, with no Fire players included in the squad. This means that homegrown stars Brian Gutiérrez and Chris Brady, both thought to be near-locks for the Olympic group, were surprising omissions from the roster. The snub comes two weeks after both were also left off of the senior USMNT’s 60-man provisional list for the CONCACAF Nations League.

While the Fire have blocked first team players from youth national team call-ups in the past, most notably the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, there was no release dispute this time, and the pair were simply not selected. Sources tell MIR97 Media that the Fire were prepared to make both Gutiérrez and Brady available for the team building up towards the Olympics, which will not coincide with any MLS regular season matches. Both Fire players are understood to have been among the final names cut.

Interestingly, two former Fire academy players from their same positions actually pipped Brady and Gutiérrez to the roster. Ex-Fire homegrown keeper Gaga Slonina beat out his former teammate to a spot in goal, joining presumed starter Patrick Schulte, while highly-rated Bosnian-American prospect Esmir Bajraktarević, who briefly played with the Fire Academy in 2019 and 2020, was among the players to beat Gutiérrez to his spot. Some of the names that were favored to Gutiérrez have sparked plenty of debate and controversy among fans, including Diego Luna, Griffin Yow, Johan Gómez, and Cade Cowell.

Oregel, Shaqiri called up to camps

Nonetheless, two Fire players were named to their respective teams, with those being Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri and 18-year-old prospect Sergio Oregel. Shaqiri was named to Switzerland’s squad for Euro 2024 tune-up friendlies against Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, while Oregel was included in the 2005 age group’s first U-20 camp for the United States.

Both players are preparing for important summer tournaments at very different levels. Switzerland is building towards the Euros this summer, in which the out-of-form Swiss team will take on a challenging group with Hungary, Scotland, and hosts Germany. Coach Murat Yakin has a big job in front of him if the Nati are to be competitive in the tournament, as they have only won two of their last eight matches (both against Andorra).

Oregel’s U-20s, on the other hand, are set to compete in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship this summer in Mexico. The homegrown midfielder will be looking to earn a spot on the final team later this year after he appeared for the U.S. at the Pan-Am Games in Santiago last fall. Matai Akinmboni, Noahkai Banks, Pedro Soma, Cole Campbell, and Barcelona B’s Diego Kochen are among the other notable names included in the current group.

Fire II add Koffi, Tchetchao Karo

With the modified U.S. Open Cup just around the corner, Chicago Fire II added two intriguing foreign players this week.

The first was Christian Koffi, a one-time Monaco Academy product who also appeared for Fiorentina. Though French-Ivorian in origin, Koffi most recently played with CF Intercity in the Spanish third division. Koffi was described by Fire II GM Alex Boler as an “explosive, football-oriented winger” and will immediately compete for starting minutes with the team.

David Tchetchao Karo was the second, joining the Fire straight out of the Benin Premier League. Tchetchao Karo is just 20 years old but is considered one of his country’s top prospects. He made his national team debut last fall, appearing as a substitute against Mozambique. Tchetchao Karo’s last club, ASVO, are currently competing in Benin’s relegation playoffs, symbolic of the fact that he is an addition completely out of left field. If the young midfielder turns out to be a success, it will go down as one of the greatest pieces of scouting in the history of MLS.