Diego Gutierrez (soccer, born 1999)

Diego Gutierrez (born January 5, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for USL Championship club Charleston Battery.

Early life
Gutierrez grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. In his youth, he played in the local Latino Sunday league in Omaha. He also played youth soccer with Elite Academy.

Gutierrez played high school soccer at Ralston High School, finishing his time there as the state's all-time leading goal scorer with 112 goals as well as tallying 43 assists. He was a four-time All-State selection and also earned All-Nebraska First Team honors.

College career
In 2017, Gutierrez began attending the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he played for the men's soccer team. On October 14, 2017, he scored his first collegiate goal, in a match against the Michigan Wolverines. At the end of his freshman season, he was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team and the All-Tournament Team. In his sophomore season, he scored braces in two matches against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on September 29 and the Western Illinois Leathernecks on October 13, earning Summit League Offensive Player of the Week for both performances. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-Summit League First Team. In his junior season, he helped them reach the Summit League final, where they were defeated by the Denver Pioneers.

In 2020, Gutierrez transferred to Creighton University for his senior year to play for the men's soccer team, The 2020 season was delayed to the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he was drafted in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft in January 2021 before appearing in a match for Creighton. However, rather than to turn professional, he opted to complete his collegiate eligibility with Creighton first. He scored his first goals for Creighton on March 6, 2021, netting a brace against the Xavier Musketeers. In April 2021, he was named the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week. At the end of the season, he was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, and was named to the All-Big East First Team and the All-East Region Second Team. He then returned for a fifth collegiate season in the fall of 2021 and was named the Big East Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year and selected to the All-Big East Preseason Team. He earned another two Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors that season and helped Creighton reach the NCAA Tournament. At the end of the season, for the second consecutive season, he was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and selected to the All-Big East First Team, after leading the conference in both goals (10) and assists (7). He was also named to the All-East Region First Team, All-American Second Team, and the TopDrawerSoccer Postseason Best XI Second Team.

Club career
At the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Gutierrez was selected in the third round (70th overall) by the Portland Timbers. However, he remained at his university for another year, before pursuing his professional career. In the summer of 2021, he played with Chicago FC United in USL League Two.

Gutierrez then joined the Timbers for their 2022 preseason, appearing in all their of the team's exhibition matches. In February 2022, he signed a one-year contract with the club, with option years from 2023 to 2025. He made his professional debut in Major League Soccer on March 12, 2022, appearing as an 87th–minute substitute during a 1–0 win over Austin FC. He also spent some time with the club's second team, Portland Timbers 2, in MLS Next Pro. In April 2022, he underwent foot surgery, causing him to miss the next five months of the season. On September 19, 2022, while playing for the second team, he scored a brace in a 2–0 victory over the Tacoma Defiance, and on August 9, 2023, he scored a hat trick in a 6–1 victory over LA Galaxy II. After the 2023 season, the club declined his option for the 2024 season.

Gutierrez signed with Charleston Battery of the USL Championship on January 17, 2024.

Personal life
Gutierrez is of Mexican descent and holds dual American and Mexican citizenship.