Will Brian Gutiérrez and Chris Brady be released for the U-20 World Cup?
The Chicago Fire are fortunate to have been blessed with several of the United States’ brightest young stars, but what this Spring holds for them is still up in the air.
Midfielder Brian Gutiérrez and goalkeeper Chris Brady, both 19, have each started all but one of the Fire’s games this season, and both are enjoying breakout seasons. Guti is in his second season as an integral key part of the first team, whereas Brady is in his first after making his debut in the finale last season. In addition to their contributions to the Fire, the two homegrowns have represented the U.S. Under-20 National Team and have received invites to nearly every camp throughout the current cycle as the strong 2003/2004 group works towards competing at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
That’s where things start to get tricky. The U-20 World Cup, whose location is to be determined after the tournament was stripped from Indonesia thanks to its refusal to host the Israeli team, is currently scheduled to take place from May 20th to June 11th. For the players, it is also a rare opportunity to represent their country on the global stage and compete to win a World Cup, something that shouldn't be taken for granted and may never come again.
Any Fire players released to play in the tournament would miss between four and six MLS matches due to the World Cup occurring midway through the season. There is no obligation for any club to allow their players to play in the competition, and while many around the league and the world see it as a great chance to showcase young talents to European scouts and bump up their value, Fire Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson doesn’t seem too interested in it.
“I'm sure the U-20s are going to ask for his services and want his services,” Hendrickson told the media a few weeks back, referring to Gutiérrez, “but first and foremost, he's a Chicago Fire player. He has to be here for us, and it's a situation where we have invested a lot in Brian. We want Brian to be here… He's going to get games with us, a lot of games, and continue to develop, but I think being with us right now is best for him.”
Since Brady is the starting goalkeeper and has played every minute when available, it’s fair to assume that the policy is the same as for Gutiérrez. Neither was released for the U-20s’ final pre-World Cup camp in March since it was concurrent with the Fire’s road game in Miami, and neither has been made available for national team duty while they were actively playing for the first team. Admittedly, Brady was permitted to play in the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, in which he won the Golden Glove and guided the U.S. to qualification for the 2024 Olympics, but he was only with Fire II at the time; Gutiérrez was not released for that tournament.
Both Gutiérrez and Brady have taken tremendous pride in the opportunities they’ve had to represent the United States on the international stage, and while they have a big role to play at the club level, they both have an interest in playing at the U-20 World Cup.
“For sure, I would be disappointed [if I’m not able to go],” Gutiérrez told us last weekend. “Honestly, I feel like I was part of the process since day one. I was part of the first camp, and I have a really good bond with the coaching staff there; I feel like I’m a part of the group.”
“If that doesn’t happen, you just gotta keep going. You can’t dwell on the past. You have to focus on the future and what’s ahead for me.”
Gutiérrez would likely be a star for that team, and would probably start for a team viewed as a real title contender. He’s arguably the best of a talented midfield group that contains such players as Paxten Aaronson, Jack McGlynn, Owen Wolff, and Alex Alvarado, among others. Brady, on the other hand, would likely be competing with former academy teammate Gaga Slonina, but if his recent form is anything to go by, he certainly has a great shot at earning the starting job.
“I wouldn’t be unhappy,” says Brady of the prospect of not being released. “I have a job to do here, being a part of this team and helping rise up the standings. I’d be a little disappointed that I didn’t get to help the team that I’ve worked so hard with for the past year and a half, but that’s a decision that the coaches make and one that I can’t really influence. It depends on how much I’m being utilized here and how much U.S. Soccer pushes. Again, it’s not a decision I make; yes, I’d be a little disappointed, but overall, I’m Chicago Fire.”
Brady says that he’s spoken extensively with U-20 Head Coach Mikey Varas in the past and expects that the national team staff will do a “fair amount of talking” with the Fire in the coming weeks with a decision made closer to the World Cup. Gutiérrez hasn’t yet had those same conversations with staff regarding his availability but hopes he will find out soon.
Ultimately, it’s a tricky and conflicting situation for both the players and the club. At the end of the day, it’s the club, not the national team, that pays players' salaries, and given the investment that the Fire have put into both Guti and Brady, it would be difficult to lose two important players for several weeks. At the same time, it’s hard to deny a player to represent their country at a World Cup, something they’ve worked towards throughout their full youth careers.
Whatever decision is made, we can only hope that these two homegrown stars will be at the top of their game this spring, whether that be in the blue shirt of Chicago or the red, white, and blue of America.
