You’ve Got a Friend
New Rapids midfielder Felipe Gutiérrez will have a close connection on his first day in Colorado - he and Diego Rubio have been teammates on both the club international levels.
In Kansas City, where the duo played together in 2018, Gutiérrez scored 19 goals and added 8 assists in 63 matches.
For his country, Gutiérrez has also appeared 35 times for the Chilean national team, including at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also helped win the 2015 Copa America for La Roja.
Depth and Familiarity
Gutiérrez, 31 should adapt quickly after playing three seasons in Major League Soccer. With only 12 games remaining in the 2022 season the Rapids will hope he gets up speed quickly.
Most importantly, the addition of the Chilean will add depth to the center of the park for the Rapids both on and off the pitch. Robin Fraser’s midfield has been in a state of flux since captain Jack Price went down with a calf injury in June, but is rounding into form just in time for a push toward the playoffs. While Price should return soon, Gutiérrez provides important depth in the middle and an ability to control the tempo from deeper as a more attack-minded number eight if needed. He can help to close out matches off the bench with his technical quality or potentially provide a spot start later in the season if called upon.
High-Quality Veteran
Prior to his time in MLS, Gutiérrez featured at the club level in Spain and the Netherlands during his seven seasons across the pond. He was the named the Most Valuable Player in the Eredivisie during the 2013-14 season. In all, for a player who is still only in his early 30s, Gutiérrez has featured over 350 times at the club level scoring 59 times.
Alongside fellow veteran midfielders Price, Bryan Acosta and Collen Warner, the Rapids hope that the Chilean’s will add another experienced piece to the puzzle as they look to make up ground in the packed Western Conference Playoff race.
