Did You Know Illinois Has Two Players In The World Cup?

If you haven't quite caught World Cup fever yet, sit down and watch a match, and then get back to me.

I watched from start to finish Mexico-England last night, and I really enjoyed myself. Having never played growing up and with only a passing interest in the sport, I never thought much about watching the World Cup.

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However, my youngest son knows more about the teams in the tournament than I thought, including some of their stars. It got me thinking about players born in Illinois who are playing in this year's World Cup.

READ MORE: Illinois Soccer Fans Warned About World Cup Ticket Scams

Illinois Soccer Stars Take the Global Stage

Turns out, there are only two, and if you watched last night's thriller in Mexico, you'd have caught one playing meaningful minutes.

Brian Gutierrez, a 23-year-old midfielder from Berwyn, plays for the Mexico National team that came up just short last night against England.

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The Berwyn Midfielder Shaking Up the World Cup

Gutierrez actually got his start playing for Team USA, but late last year announced he was switching to the Mexico National team. This apparently doesn't happen, but he was eligible to make the switch under FIFA eligibility rules.

The other Illinois-born player in the World Cup is Chris Brady. Brady, a goalkeeper, was born in Naperville and plays for the Chicago Fire in the MLS.

READ MORE: Is Chicago Fire FC About to Land a Global Superstar?

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Naperville Goalkeeper Making USMNT History

While he has yet to see any action in the World Cup, Brady did make history as the first person selected to the US team with zero international experience since 1994.

Who knows, maybe Brady will see the pitch tonight as the USA takes on Belgium at 7 p.m.