Young Chicago-Born Player Aims to Bring Glory to Mexico in the World Cup
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Mexico had a strong start in the World Cup last week with a victory over South Africa, and a 23-year-old from the suburbs of Chicago hopes to help the team maintain that momentum this week. Brian Gutiérrez, born in Berwyn and who played parts of six seasons with the Chicago Fire, made his World Cup debut for Mexico in Thursday's 2-0 win against South Africa. Although he received a yellow card and was substituted in the second half, he made an impact offensively with four shots during the match. Now, just a day after turning 23, Gutiérrez hopes to help Mexico advance past the group stage of the tournament for the first time since 2018. Born in 2003, Gutiérrez attended Reavis High School in Burbank and signed a homegrown contract with the Chicago Fire in 2020. He made his professional debut that same season, marking the beginning of a six-year stint with his hometown team. During those six seasons, Gutiérrez scored 19 goals for the Fire, including a personal best of nine goals in his final season with the club in 2025. After that season, Gutiérrez signed a transfer to Guadalajara in Liga MX, where he scored two goals in 17 matches last season. Internationally, Gutiérrez originally played two friendlies with the United States but switched his allegiance to represent Mexico starting in the 2026 season. He scored a couple of goals during Mexico's pre-World Cup friendlies, including one on May 22 against Ghana, and was called up to the Mexican national team for the 2026 World Cup after earning seven caps with the team. Now, the attacking midfielder hopes to lead the team to achievements that have eluded them for decades. Mexico has not advanced past the World Cup group stage since 1986, falling in the Round of 16 in seven consecutive World Cups from 1994 to 2018. The team earned three points in the 2022 edition in Qatar but failed to reach the knockout stage. They are now in an excellent position to advance to the knockout rounds in the expanded tournament featuring 48 teams, with that path continuing Thursday night when they face South Korea in a familiar setting for Gutiérrez, as they will play at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
