Negative assessments of his value may have been premature
Aside from an odd question about the Chicago Fire winning the World Cup, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s move to MLS brought a familiar and increasingly tiresome cries of how signing European stars over 30 is bad for the league (spoiler: it’s not). While one match can’t do much to disprove even the most useless of arguments, Schweinsteiger was quick to prove that he still has something to offer in his debut against Montreal.
The former Germany captain started the match mere days after arriving in Chicago, since Man United have been keeping him in a preservation tank against his will for much of the last year. And with Chicago supporters eager to finally begin their World Cup campaign in earnest, Schweinsteiger gave them reason to dream.
Just 17 minutes into the match, Schweini headed in a cross from close range to put the Fire up 1–0.
And he wasn’t done there. A bit later in the first half, he showed he can still reduce a defender to rubble even with just one knee.
Again, an impressive first half in his debut doesn’t necessary mean he will have a great season, but after Jose Mourinho publicly expressed his regret over his treatment of Schweinsteiger at Man United, who only managed a 0–0 draw with West Brom earlier on Saturday, the Red Devils might soon wish they kept him.
