Gutman embraces his homecoming

The Chicago Fire's game hosting D.C. United at SeatGeek Stadium on Sept. 7 was Andrew Gutman's 100th start as a Major League Soccer player, a special milestone in a career that had come full circle back to the club of his origin story.

The left back from Hinsdale knew he'd get passionate support from the fieldside box his uncle had secured for loved ones to witness the occasion. No one could have expected, however, that Gutman would take the celebration next-level with one of the most spectacular goals of the season.

In the 54th minute with the Fire trailing 0-2, Gutman, positioned well outside the opposing 18-yard-box, used his chest to control a deflected corner kick, letting the ball drop nearly to the ground before unleashing a left-booted laser strike into the goal's right corner, past a stunned D.C. keeper.

"It felt great," Gutman said by phone last week. "You can even see in the background of the video, that (my family's) all jumping up and down, going crazy and super excited. It was probably the best goal that I've scored in my career. Those types of goals don't get scored often."

Unfortunately the tally was the lone highlight in a losing effort. And while the season has been marked too few Fire victories and too many stints on the injured list for Gutman, the news last January that he was being traded to the Fire, whose youth academy he was part of for years, felt like the triumph of a lifetime.

"This is where I grew up playing, and it was a dream come true to come back," the Hinsdale Central alum said. "It's probably been the best season in terms of being able to spend a lot of time with family.

"I went to my grandfather's 90th birthday party. I get to see my brother and my sister (Phillip and Jaclyn) and my parents (Phil and Laura) a lot more, and I've definitely taken advantage of that, for sure," he continued.

A top talent at Indiana University, Gutman turned down an offer from the Fire after his 2018 graduation, pursuing instead the opportunity to play in Europe. Disappointingly, an arrangement with Scotland's venerated Celtic club never got off the mark, and Gutman then embarked on an MLS journey that would take him to Cincinnati, New York City, Atlanta and Colorado before being welcomed back to the Windy City.

"A lot of my years as a professional I've just been in a city because of my job," he said. "You kind of spend the first few months getting your bearings."

Learning that he was heading back to the familiar comforts of Chicago - and to the team once home to his childhood hero, Cuauhtémoc Blanco - was rejuvenating.

"It was very exciting. To be part of the club that I grew up playing for and the city that I love, how many players would love to be in that situation? It was an unbelievable feeling," Gutman related, admitting that he got goosebumps when he first tried on his No. 15 jersey. "When you're younger you don't understand how difficult it is to get to this position. It feels like it was a one in a million chance, and I was able to do it."

Needless to point out, other Gutmans also were delighted.

"My mom probably was freaking out for a few days, she was just so excited," he said. "Just to be able to feel like the entire family is all in one city again is really cool."

And there was no wasting time learning the dining scene.

"My all-time favorite is probably Nabuki," revealed Gutman of the Hinsdale eatery. "I know the city and I feel like I have more of a social life. It makes a big difference."

As a veteran who's navigated different coaches and different systems, Gutman appreciates the relationships and the adaptability he has forged even at the young age of 27.

"Everyone has a different type of style they want to play. It's given me a lot of confidence that I can be a really good player in the league and be asked to do a lot of different things, and do them at high level," he said.

He hopes this latest assignment is for keeps.

"I'm done moving. I would like to stay in Chicago the rest of my career," said Gutman, touting the team's soon-to-open Endeavor Health Performance Center training facility as a gamechanger for the sport's local rising generation.

"I want to be able to give back to kids in youth soccer and show them that I was one of those kids that grew up playing the sport that's now playing in the MLS because I loved it and kept working at it," he said.

Apparently the word's already out.

"When I go make a public appearance, I always get someone that comes up to me and knows I was from Hinsdale," he said. "I hope people use me as a motivator to show them it is doable."

Suddenly Central is well-represented across Chicago sports rosters, with Red Devil standouts Doug Kramer and Kiran Amegadjie among the Bears offensive linemen and Matas Buzelis ready to hit the court for the Bulls.

"There are a lot of good athletes in and around the Chicago area that are starting to make it," he said.

Even as Gutman works toward his 200th MLS start, he's keeping his priorities straight.

"At the end of the day, I've still got to listen to my mom," he quipped.