KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- An MLS Original returned home to Kansas City last Sunday evening as Diego Gutierrez manned the Chicago Fire midfield against the Wizards. The stop was Gutierrez's next to last in his hometown during his goodbye tour in MLS as the 11-year veteran announced in February that this would be his last season.
The 35-year-old began his career with the Wizards in the inaugural MLS season in 1996, but became a Fire original after he was traded to the then-expansion side following the 1997 season, which the Colombian native was forced to sit out due to a ruptured ACL and MCL in his left knee. The man who spent his junior and senior seasons at Blue Springs H.S. just outside of Kansas City before moving onto a collegiate career at Evansville University in Indiana and Rockhurst University back in K.C., was reacquired by the Wizards for the 2002 through 2005 seasons before again re-joining the Fire.
Having played at cavernous Arrowhead Stadium during his Wizards days, Gutierrez was pleased with the sold-out atmosphere at Kansas City's temporary home at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
"We heard that it was going to be a packed house," he said. "It was pretty pleasing to play in front of a good crowd."
A crowd that has always been good to Gutierrez. In his first appearance in Kansas City after being traded to the Fire in 2006, the Wizards' supporters group -- the Cauldron -- presented him with a touching commemorative collage. Sunday, as friends and family crowded section 110 of CAB, Gutierrez was able to reconnect with some of his K.C. fans.
"I got the opportunity when I was coming out of the tunnel to speak with a few fans. They still treat me extremely well," he said. "I have a lot of fond memories from a lot of those guys. It's always a pleasure to come back and play in a place where you know you are appreciated."
Having won five domestic championships as a player -- the 2004 U.S. Open Cup with Kansas City, the 1998 MLS Cup and three more Open Cups with Chicago (1998, 2000, 2006) -- Gutierrez knows what it takes for a side to be at the top. Saturday's 0-0 draw with his former team, though frustrating due to a lack of offensive production, was another step for the Fire who sit third in the Eastern Conference with 26 points from 17 games.
"It's important for us to continue an undefeated streak (now five games), continue adding points, and taking the proper steps for the second half of the season," he said.
Gutierrez is fairly sure the Chicago area will remain his family's city of choice after his playing days are over. But be assured the Fire's last visit to Kansas City on October 5 of this year is circled on his calendar as it could mark his last game in the city as a professional soccer player. It is his hope that he will remain a valued member of the Fire on that day and beyond despite increasing competition from his teammates and new acquisitions in forward Brian McBride and especially Guatemalan midfielder Marco Pappa, recently acquired on loan from CSD Municipal.
Having played in and started 13 of the Fire's 17 matches, bringing his career appearances total to 269 (tied for 11th-most in MLS history), Gutierrez has provided his usual confidence and steadiness in the midfield. Yet the veteran knows a place in the squad is not earned in the past.
"I'm taking it one game at a time," he said. "I don't want to start thinking too far down the road, but, hopefully, I'll be healthy and I'll be able to step on the field and culminate a chapter of my life that has been pretty exciting and is full of beautiful memories, especially in a city like [Kansas City]."
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