Brian Gutiérrez could sit out Mexico's group stage finale. Here's why
· Yahoo Sports
MEXICO CITY -- Mexico wraps up their group stage schedule against Czechia on Wednesday, June 24. With nothing at stake for El Tri, Futbol Picante's John Sutcliffe reported that manager Javier Aguirre is planning to rotate his squad, notably starting Memo Ochoa at goalkeeper and Santiago Giménez as the No. 9 among other potential moves.
One name that could sit out is Brian Gutiérrez. The Berwyn, Illinois native has played well as a starter through each of El Tri's first two World Cup matches, but picked up a yellow card in the 23rd minute of the opening match after a hard tackle on South African defensive midfielder Teboho Mokoena.
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Gutiérrez has been subbed off in the second half against both South Africa and South Korea, so it would make sense in theory for Aguirre to sit the 23-year-old to avoid any risk of a potential suspension for the knockout stage.
Players that could see more minutes in the midfield Wednesday include Álvaro Fidalgo, Obed Vargas, Orbelín Pineda, Gilberto Mora, Mateo Chávez and Luis Chávez, among others.
According to FIFA's new rules for the expanded 48-team World Cup this year, the yelow card slate gets wiped clean at the beginning of the knockout round and once more after the quarterfinals. But, if a player accumulates two yellow cards before either of those two resets, he will still serve a one-match ban for the next game regardless of round.
That means if Gutiérrez were to play against Czechia and collect one more yellow card, he would be ineligible to play for Mexico in the round of 32.
The Chivas midfielder has been impressive in his debut World Cup run. In two games, Gutiérrez has taken five shots, completed 88.1% of his passes and created four chances.
El Tri can go without that kind of production in a meaningless game like the one on Wednesday, but not in the knockout stages.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brian Gutiérrez's yellow card puts him at risk in World Cup group stage finale against Czechia