Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League announced Tuesday that the club has signed Canadian midfielder Diego Gutiérrez on a two-year deal with a one-year option.

The 26-year-old joins as a free agent following his time spent with CPL side Valour FC, where he made 82 appearances, making himself a familiar name as one of the best midfielders in the league who was named as the CPL Player of the Month in April 2023. As a box-to-box midfielder, Gutiérrez can play across all positions in the midfield and is a specialist on set-pieces, fitting strongly with one of Cavalry’s strategic attacking strengths.

In 2023, Gutiérrez scored four goals and added an assist in 25 CPL games for Valour, earning a spot in the Gatorade Team of the Week four times. He also finished 17th in voting for the Players’ Player of the Year award.

“We felt we needed another high-quality midfield player to add a different dimension to our squad and give us depth centrally,” said Cavalry head coach and general manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

“Guti fits that profile, as he is an intelligent all-phases midfielder that is excellent both sides of the ball, with an exceptional range of passing. He is also a player that can fit in all three roles within the midfield, which is rare and highly beneficial for us.”

Born in Canada, Gutiérrez moved with his family to Chile at the age of three, where he later began his career at the age of five. Gutiérrez joined Chilean side, Colo-Colo’s academy, before joining the youth system of Club Deportivo Palestino. He then went on to make his professional debut for Palestino in 2015, before leaving to join the CPL in it’s inaugural 2019 season.

Internationally, Gutiérrez has been called up to the U-20 Canadian men’s national team, representing his country at the 2017 Concacaf U-20 Championship.

“I’m very happy to be joining Cavalry FC,” said Gutierrez. “The club has performed very well over the past five years with their success. I can’t wait to play on ATCO Field and celebrate with the fans in Calgary.”