Andrew Gutman notched his first ever MLS assist last night, but it didn’t stop him from receiving mixed reviews for his overall display.
Gutman made only his second appearance for FC Cincinnati against New York City. He was praised from all quarters for his debut performance at Columbus Crew last weekend too.
Yet the American seemed to have more of a mixed response to last night.
Cincinnati lost 4-1 at home to NYC. It was a disappointing night for them. And, in the only positive for the Celtic loan star, he managed the first MLS assist of his career last night. Gutman sent a beautiful low cross into the centre of the penalty area for Allan Cruz to smash home midway through the first-half.
Unfortunately, Gutman would later give away a penalty for what looked like an unfortunate hand-ball at first glance. He was lucky in that the penalty was saved, but he would subsequently be both praised and criticised for his performance.
If you want to have a look at the highlights, you can find them by clicking here (MLS Soccer). Alternatively, here’s a look at some of the reaction to his display:
https://twitter.com/FutureUsmnt/status/1162908093094588420
Mixed reaction won’t faze Gutman
There are still plenty of Cincinnati supporters still pleased with Gutman’s performance last night. But it was clear during pre-season with Celtic that he wasn’t seriously tested defensively.
Against both Pinkafeld and Wiener Sport-Club, Celtic were fairly dominant in both games. Gutman himself didn’t really face much at the back, whilst he looked positive going forward.
But it’s important for fans to remember that he is indeed in a high-quality league in the MLS. Considering he also plays for the worst team in it, there are clear reasons to be positive regarding the former Charlotte Independence man’s displays so far.
And you can be excused for feeling there’s a sense of irony here. Celtic are currently struggling for quality at left-back, whilst Gutman himself has been impressing in America’s top league early on.
Of course, nobody knows the reason as to why Gutman left Parkhead. If it was work-permit related then the club can’t be blamed. But last night he seemed to show up fairly well once again against a high-quality New York City outfit.
He may have made an error with the hand-ball, and some are clearly concerned about his defensive traits. But for Celtic fans, it’s a good education for him to have in his home country. Mixed reviews will always be there, and that’s something Gutman will get used to.
We’ll keep tabs on Gutman as the season progresses, but despite his mistakes last night, it’s clearly still been a positive start to his Cincinnati spell.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
