A DERBY match taking place in North Carolina tonight looks set to feature a direct battle between two of Celtic’s young American full-backs who have been farmed out to lower league clubs back in their homeland.
While Andrew Gutman and Manny Perez dream one day soon of appearing in the Parkhead club's starting XI on opposite flanks of the same Celtic back four, this weekend they will likely battle it out on the same side of the field as Charlotte Independence play host to North Carolina FC in the Tar Heel state.
The pair were unveiled by Celtic on the same day earlier this year as they both signed three-and-a-half-year deals, part of a recent glut of young Americans joining Scottish sides. And both followed similar trails back across the Atlantic to play in the US second tier on loan.
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Now, inevitably, their mutual allegiance gets parked for 90 minutes as they take the unusual step of doing battle as Celtic loan players on opposite sides of an American domestic league encounter. The match garners added spice since it doubles as a North Carolina inter-city affair, known as the Southern Derby.
Perez, 20, and Gutman, 22, have already engaged in a little light-hearted banter at the prospect of being at crossed purposes. They might even go into more direct combat since Perez, ordinarily a right-back, has lately been deployed on the right wing for North Carolina FC, with Gutman firmly fixed at left-back for Charlotte. And the match will represent the first time they have shared a field in competitive action.
“I’ve talked to Andrew about it already because we stay in contact,” said Perez, laughing. “We’ve both been talking behind each other’s backs about it, trying to get at each other. It’s going to be exciting. It doesn’t get any better than that.
“Best of luck to him, I know he’s a very good player, I’ve been watching some video on him to see what his techniques are and what not. It’s going to be a fun thing for me and I’m sure for him, and for Celtic supporters to watch.”
Gutman had his own pre-game repartee lined up before they both get down to the serious business of the contest. “I’ll be getting in touch to see how things are going and then obviously talking a little bit of smack to him,” he said.
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“It’s a unique situation just in terms of two young Americans getting signed by such a massive club. Me and Manny’s main focus is to get back to Celtic and prove the signing of us was a good move for the club and for us.
“My main goal is just to develop as much as I can and progress my development, hopefully getting back to Celtic sooner rather than later. Manny’s the same way.
“It’s a dream come true. When Celtic first reached out to me, that was something that I never imagined. The way Manny and I play fits into the Celtic style, and even the Scottish style of football.”
Gutman has been an impressive ever-present for Charlotte since the USL Championship season commenced a little over a month ago, starting all six matches for the Jacks and chipping in with two goals.
Gutman got his name on the scoresheet during Charlotte’s first win of the season on Tuesday night. It came when Mark Hill, a 20-year-old Scotland youth international midfielder reared in the Celtic youth system who is also on loan at Charlotte, struck a teasing free-kick from a tight angle on the left flank off the near post. As the ball came back off the upright, Gutman was on hand to bundle home at the back post, no doubt pleasing Charlotte head coach Jim McGuinness, a former Celtic coach.
“Mark has a lot of quality on the ball, he distributes well, he creates a lot of chances for us and hopefully in the next few weeks he and I can link up on a couple of more goals,” said Gutman.
“Mark and Jim spent a few years at Celtic. I’m away from the club but at the same I’m not too far from it because every day I have two guys that know the club so well and love to talk about it so much so it’s a good situation, especially being American and not from Scotland, I get to learn even more about how big and historical of a club it is.”
Perez has had to make do with one start and three appearances from the bench for North Carolina so far. But he thinks playing under head coach Dave Sarachan, until recently in charge of the US national team, has already sped up his development as a player.
“He keeps pushing me forward every day at training,” he said, “putting me in the best position possible for going back to Celtic.”
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