Even with less than a week of practice under his belt, Felipe Gutiérrez made a sizable impact in his first match with the Colorado Rapids.
With his second match day on tap Saturday against Columbus, he could be crucial.
Gutiérrez, a 31-year-old Chilean central midfielder, arrived Aug. 3 for a second stint in Major League Soccer on a loan through the end of the season. Following the Minnesota United game last Saturday, Gyasi Zardes, Robin Fraser and Diego Rubio all spoke to his composure on the ball.
As the Rapids and their red-hot offense enter an 11-game gauntlet to end the 2022 campaign, which includes Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff against Columbus Crew at DSGP, adding a weapon like Gutiérrez to the arsenal couldn’t come a moment too soon. Colorado (8-9-6, 30 points) is three points below the playoff line with two games in hand. While it might be crunch-time, his integration into the team has been seamless.
“He’s mature, confident and knows who he is — he knows how he can help the team,” Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said last weekend. “To bring in a piece like Felipe at the moment is a real boost for us because he’s another who has been in big experiences and nothing’s going to scare him.”
Gutiérrez said he wanted to stay in MLS the first time he came Stateside. He made the 2014 World Cup squad for La Roja, Chile’s national team, and played in Spain, Holland and Brazil before arriving as a Designated Player with Sporting Kansas City from 2018-20. In his first stint in MLS, he excelled, scoring 19 times in 52 appearances, but injuries mounted, including a season-ending knee injury in 2020, and he returned to Chile for 2021 the start of ’22.
Now that he’s back, he’s ready to prove he can stick in MLS.
“Well, the truth is that arriving in MLS is something very positive for me on a personal level,” Gutiérrez said via a club translator. “(The) Colorado Rapids have done everything with my arrival so that my adaptation is as fast as possible because of the fact that we are in that last phase of the season. I’m happy to continue and hoping to do my part to help the team fulfill its objective.”
The objective for this weekend will be difficult against Columbus. The Crew have lost once in their last 11 games due to the strong play of new signing Cucho Hernández and Lucas Zelarayán. Three Rapids players used to wear the black-and-gold: Gyasi Zardes, Lalas Abubakar and the injured 21-year-old Aboubacar Keita.
Colorado’s attack has never been better this season. Diego Rubio (seven straight matches with a goal or an assist) and Zardes (five goals in his last six games) have ignited this Rapids’ revival. And having another veteran like Gutiérrez, who played 45 minutes in his debut last weekend, will be critical down the stretch.
“You can tell he slows down the pace of the game. It can be chaotic, but once you give him the ball it’s nice and mellow, very calm,” Zardes said. “He’s trying to pick out passes, he’s drawing defenders to him which allow other players to be open. I’m excited to see what he brings to the team.”
Gutiérrez has played with Rubio on the Chilean national team and at SKC, and their sense of familiarity has returned with their reunion. Gutiérrez said he has a close relationship with the Rapids’ leading goal-scorer and wants to help raise the tally to over 11 goals.
“Diego and I have known each other longer and have built up a relationship and trust from that and that makes it much easier for me to adapt to a new place,” he said. “I am very happy to have him here and I hope the games will continue on because Diego is having a great season and I hope I can help him continue to improve, help him continue to put up numbers that can help him reach his personal objectives, as well as the team objectives, obviously.”
Whether the Rapids will ultimately decide to sign Gutiérrez after the season ends is a decision for down the road. For now, he’s ready to help Colorado get above the playoff line — and most importantly, stay there.
“I think we have a team that can compete and do important things,” Gutiérrez said. “… We hope to maintain that intensity that we need to achieve the objective, which is making the playoffs.”
