Chicago Fire sign homegrown midfielder Brian Gutierrez to contract extension | OneFootball

Chicago Fire have signed homegrown midfielder Brian Gutierrez to a contract extension, hoping to keep him at Soldier Field through the 2028 MLS season.

Gutierrez rose through the Fire's academy and quickly established himself as one of the league's top young midfielders, becoming a mainstay in Chicago's starting XI despite the recent coaching changes.

The 20-year-old has already donned the Fire's colors over 90 times, having a clear positive impact on the team in 2023 with two goals and nine assists despite Chicago missing out on the playoffs. Gutierrez was the 16th homegrown player in team history to breakthrough at the first team level in 2020 and has only continued to improve since then.

Gutierrez will now take up one of the club's homegrown Initiative U-22 slots alongside Federico Navarro.

"It has been exciting to watch Guti grow over the past four seasons with the Chicago Fire and become a very important player for the Club," club sporting director Georg Heitz said in a release. "We take pride in rewarding our homegrown players for their contributions to the club and this new contract recognizes the value Guti brings to the organization both on and off the field. We look forward to seeing his continued development in the coming years."

The Fire have become one of the best teams in MLS to foster young talent, as former players Jhon Duran and Gaga Slonina were both transferred to Premier League sides Aston Villa and Chelsea, respectively.

The Fire haven't finished a season in a playoff spot since 2017, and they'll be looking to change that with Gutiérrez and veteran Xherdan Shaqiri leading the way.

"It's a tremendous feeling to know that the Club believes in me as a player and as a person," said Gutierrez. "I’m grateful for the opportunity to build on that confidence and improve on the field, to always do my best for this Club, for the fans and for this city."