Five Chicago Fire FC players were active around the globe for their respective national teams across four matches played on Tuesday.
Homegrown midfielders Sergio Oregel Jr. and Brian Gutiérrez as well as Homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady were called into action once again for the United States Men’s Under-19 and Under-20 Youth National Team sides, respectively. Additionally, Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri and forward Jhon Durán also featured for Switzerland and Colombia.
Making his second appearance in the 2022 Slovenia Nations Cup, the 17-year-old Oregel capped his sixth appearance as a starter in U.S. colors with a goal for the U-19s. Oregel made a crafty run into the 18-yard box, losing a defender to free up space for a low-driven header ending in the back of the net. His goal ended up sealing a 2-1 victory against Scotland, which helped the U.S. capture the tournament crown.
Brady, 18, again made a start in goal for the U.S. U-20 side against Paraguay on Tuesday in the final fixture of the Revelations Cup, capping off the 2-0 victory with another clean sheet added to his tally. He'd additionally started in goal in the team’s 2-1 defeat against Mexico on Saturday, playing 90 minutes. Despite tasting their first defeat since November 2021 and ending a nine-game unbeaten run, Brady made some massive saves in the performance.
Gutiérrez, 19, also featured against Paraguay on Tuesday as part of the U-20 starting XI alongside Brady. Gutiérrez found the back of the net in the 30th minute after receiving a pass in the box that left him alone with the keeper to tuck it into the bottom corner. Gutiérrez’s 77 minute appearance helped the U.S. U-20s seal their victory against Paraguay. Watch the goal at the 0:12 second mark below:
Durán featured off the bench for Colombia after replacing Liverpool FC winger Luis Díaz in the 90th minute in a 3-2 win against Mexico. The 18-year-old made his first-ever appearance for the Colombian National team this past Sunday, Sept. 25, making his debut against Guatemala. Durán came off the bench during halftime to replace Radamel Falcao and played 45 minutes.
Shaqiri featured for Switzerland for the 108th time in his career on Tuesday, starting and playing 64 minutes in the team's 2-1 win against Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League. With nine points from their six matches, Switzerland finished in 3rd place in Group A2 behind Spain (11 points) and Portugal (10 points).
Shaqiri and Switzerland have one final tune-up match prior to beginning Group G play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They'll face Ghana at Baniyas Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Nov. 17.
