The Case for Diego Gutierrez
He's finally fully healthy. Let's see what he can do.
The biggest story surrounding the Portland Timbers this year (on the field) is the long list of injuries that continues to grow. Dairon Asprilla, Sebastian Blanco, Yimmi Chara, Felipe Mora, David Ayala, Tega Ikoba, and now Cristhian Paredes are going to be missing significant time for an already thin squad. Most of those players listed above are attackers, meaning the depth up top is very weak. It is time for Giovanni Savarese to play the youth, and one person on the roster has been getting an unfair deal for the first few weeks of the season. I’m talking, of course, about Diego Gutierrez.
Gutierrez came to Portland via the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, but elected to stay in college rather than join the team right away. He was a force in attack for Creighton, scoring 15 goals in 30 matches. He also has an impressive list of individual honors, earning two first-team All Big East selections and Big East Offensive Player of the Year. He initially started his college career at Nebraska-Omaha, and was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer team and got a spot on the league’s first team. Since joining the team in 2022, we haven’t been able to see much of him. He made his debut in a 1-0 win against Austin, playing the last 3 minutes plus stoppage. Then his right foot got injured and he underwent Lisfranc stabilization surgery. That operation kept him out for 5 months, but he was able to return to match fitness in time to get minutes for Timbers 2, the Timbers MLS NEXTPRO side. He scored twice in a playoff victory over Tacoma, Seattle’s MLS NEXTPRO team. So far this year, he has made the bench for all three matches, but has only averaged 7 minutes per appearance.
One way to look at injuries is utter despair. That is certainly a familiar feeling in the Timbers fandom. But, the glass-half-full approach is giving opportunities to players who would otherwise be buried on the depth chart. Diego Gutierrez has a golden opportunity to get valuable minutes during a time when the Timbers are desperate for attacking help. And short cameos aren’t going to help at all. I want to see him start.
Now, you may have crossed your arms and glared at your screen. Maybe even called me a rude name like “silly boy,” “idiot,” or “dummy.” But I am begging you to please let me cook. Gio has already said he sees Gutierrez as a winger. He is absolutely wrong about it. This is the same man who played Jeremy Ebobisse on the wing. He is also the same man who put Yimmi at the ten last year. I am not doubting his managerial capabilities (at least not in this article) but he is not a perfect judge of where a player would fit best on the field.
There is one player on the roster who is a massive minutes vacuum, and he plays the position that I want Gutierrez to get match experience in. We all know exactly what kind of player Jaroslaw Niezgoda is: one who is a shell of his former self. There is no need for Savarese to continue to give him minutes if he’s going to contribute nothing but some impressive jogging (his jogging isn’t even impressive but I feel bad for him so I’ll give him that bit of praise). If Gio took the minutes he was giving Niezgoda and gave them to Gutierrez, I would be so happy. Do I think Gutierrez would be an immediate upgrade over Niez? He sprints, so he already is one. He has also proven to be clinical in front of goal, even if it was at a lower level than MLS. Playing on the wing for Portland involves a ton of creative responsibility, and if Gutierrez can be in a spot to focus on finishing it will pay off. The club has also finally announced the signing of Franck Boli, adding another name to a crowded striker depth chart. Boli still has a massive checklist to complete (visas, other eligibility forms) before he is ready for match selection. The window for Gutierrez minutes is already starting to decrease from the miniscule amount of minutes he already has. He needs as many first team minutes as he can get before he gets buried again.
Next week the Timbers are visiting Atlanta, and it is kind of a perfect opportunity for Gutierrez to get his first start. The 3-5-2 that Portland set up in against St. Louis is begging for a second striker alongside Nathan Fogaca. This would not push Santiago Moreno out of the lineup, as he can play as an advanced 8 alongside Eryk Williamson with Evander’s status unknown. To be clear, this is a scenario in which Evander cannot start and I am already getting booed out of the room for even suggesting it. But no one saw his benching coming, and he is the player the Timbers must protect at all costs. Moreno has been better defending than attacking so far in 2023, and he was just missing the proper execution against St. Louis. I did like some of his ideas even if the pass that was played was just over or under-hit. Give him some time at the 8 while we play with 3 at the back, which is still our most effective formation given the current availability reports. Atlanta has a lot of attacking quality and the back three is the best avenue to try and get a result.
The beginning of the season is a time to experiment, and that is exactly what the Timbers should be doing. It is unrealistic to completely rely on players returning from injury, and I have a feeling that Savarese is going to be doing exactly that come summer. Testing out the depth has no inherent negative (besides injury, but that goes for any player). It is worth reminding everyone that Gutierrez is 24. Give our resident Eslabon Armado enjoyer a start or two and let’s see how he does.