Andrew Gutman’s 2024 season came to an abrupt halt less than 120 seconds after it began. The Chicago Fire’s starting left back went down with a hamstring injury in Philadelphia that kept him off the Fire’s team sheet until last weekend’s 4-0 loss to Real Salt Lake when he was an unused substitute.
The Hinsdale native and Fire Academy product is giddy at the prospect of finally making his home debut on Saturday.
“It's going to be a moment that I'll remember for the rest of my life,” said Gutman. “I remember going to Fire games growing up and always wanting to put on that red jersey, and I haven't been able to do it yet. Hopefully this weekend will be my first time, and hopefully it's the start of a long and successful Fire career for me.”
Gutman will be thrust right into the fray when he gets on the pitch as head coach Frank Klopas has continually emphasized the large role that his new left back will have in this team’s attack. Now 27, Gutman is embracing the challenge of being a focal point for the club at this point of his career.
“I want to take the next step to be a key part of this team. Thankfully they brought me in with the belief that I'm able to do that.
“So now it's just about showing my qualities that I was able to show during preseason and kind of just start -- I guess this is kind of my first game playing, so start the season well for me and start off strong and ride through the whole season and help us have a successful season.”
Gutman appeared in 43 MLS matches for Atlanta United in 2022 and 2023 before being traded to Colorado last summer. It will be a welcome reunion for him, especially if Chicago gets a positive result.
“Yeah, it's always nice seeing old friends and old teammates. I had a lot of great relationships with that club. Personally I had a lot of success at that club as well, but it's always nice to go against your former team. Hopefully we can come out of there with three points.
“I know they have a fantastic team and a bunch of fantastic players, but we also have great quality, and we're playing at home. Any time you're at home, you always want to push the game, you want to push the tempo, you want to be more energetic. So Saturday that's kind of all I'm focused on is just playing at home and kind of taking it to them.”
From the rest of my notebook:
Frank Klopas on His Side
This reporter asked Fire head coach Frank Klopas at his weekly media availability about what his side needs to do to improve after last week’s disastrous performance. He, per usual, remains optimistic.
“Yeah, but that's one game. We had four points going into that match, so you have to look at that,” said Klopas. “I thought that some individual mistakes, the game got out of us at 3-0. Then it becomes a more difficult game to come back.
"Other than that, for me, it's also the injuries that we got into that match. I think consistency is one thing. Then, without the ball, I think we have to find a way where we can limit some of those mistakes because [of] obviously the amount of goals. I know in two games you take the seven goals. Three in one and four in the other, it's seven goals, but I think to find that consistency.
"I thought that game early on, if you look at the game again, really look at it, in the first 25 minutes we have really two big chances to get on track and score the first goal. So, we had two to three really good chances. Two in transition. Once we picked the ball in front as they tried to play out of the back.
“Then the goals we gave up. I just think we need to be better in moments like that. We have 11 guys even on the first goal behind the ball, and we give up a goal. I think the second and third goal put it out.
“So, I think just the consistency and the mentality really, I think, as a group. It's not just one or two players. As a group in moments like that just to make it really hard without the ball for teams to break us down and stay more compact and then grind out results. When we get the chances, we have to put the chances away because I think that also gives a team confidence.”
Injuries
Frank Klopas was optimistic that Brian Gutiérrez and Xherdan Shaqiri would be available against Atlanta. However, the Fire will be without Gastón Giménez (hamstring) and Federico Navarro (knee) for a few weeks.
Ooof Alert
Through nine games, the Chicago Fire have conceded 18 goals while making 34 saves overall. The Fire have only generated 33 shots on target in that same time period, per fbref .
Chicago Fire’s Future Home
The City of Chicago and the Chicago Bears announced plans for a new lakefront stadium that would replace Soldier Field, the home of the Bears and Fire. Here’s what a spokesperson from the Fire said when asked for comment regarding the announcement:
“The Fire love playing at the historic Soldier Field and are committed to playing in Chicagoland for decades to come. However, while we have no imminent plans, the Club is paying close attention to the rapidly evolving stadium landscape here in Chicago. It’s obviously no secret the impact a new venue can have for a team, so we’re keeping an open mind about all available options.”
It sounds like anything is on the table for the Fire’s search for a new home ground.
What’s On Tap Next?
The Fire host Atlanta United on Saturday at Soldier Field. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM CT and will air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
Follow @soccer_ontap on X for more Chicago Fire news and updates!
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