Bastian Schweinsteiger to the Chicago Fire? News outlets all over the world have picked up on this narrative. It might happen come summer time.
The Fire have offered the German star a contract worth $5.5 million for three years, according to a report from Goal USA that cited unnamed sources in November. As FOX Soccer points out: “If the reports are true and the deal comes to pass, it would make put Schweinsteiger in the upper echelon of MLS earners.”
Now today The Sun has brought this rumor up back up again to the forefront.
Let’s look at why or why not this could be good for the frozen out Manchester United man.
For United, there really is no debate to be had. Mourinho has no place for him and that’s that. Wherever he goes, it’s a “win” on their end since they have rendered him expendable.
How Bastian Schweinsteiger Would Fit in on the Pitch with Chicago Fire:
Their courting of the long time German National Team Captain just how badly they really need a #6, and well he fills their needs to have a great passer. The Fire have plenty of young legs already to cover a ton of ground, so that’ll be a good complement to Schweinsteiger, who doesn’t provide such attributes.
However, this won’t really work unless they add someone else to fill their glaring team needs. Someone needs to do the defensive works alongside Bastian.
The Fire want to play a pass-oriented style that tries to get everyone up the field as much as possible. However the Fire don’t have the back line to make this happen at this point.
Also, for everything Basti brings and creates, who then finishes?
How Bastian Schweinsteiger Would Fit in off the Pitch with Chicago Fire:
Schweinsteiger is a great first step, but he doesn’t score and that’s what moves people to get in the seats. He’d be the best player on the roster far and away, but he’s still not a big enough draw.
Actually, the dream scenario is Wayne Rooney, and although that’s extremely unlikely to happen, we explored that idea already in this post.
Future Implications:
This is a good first step of the Fire conveying a sense of real ambition to spend money. Someone, somewhere doing something needs to “light a fire” (pun intended) in this apparently apathetic organization.
They’ve been such losers for so long that they’re currently invisible in the local sports scene. Yes, in the nation’s third largest market, they’re not just irrelevant, but invisible, as every time I write about the club I feel buyers remorse for the time spent in doing so.
Why? Fire material gets such tremendously low page views that to write about them is allow your time to be burglarized. (Maybe this time it will be different though *fingers crossed*)
It’s time for #cf97 to prove me and all the other detractors wrong by making a splash hire. Of course, there’s still the issue of where they play.
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/732298277933060096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Toyota Park is a gorgeous, state of the art facility, but it lies in the absolute middle of nowhere. It’s not geographically all that far from the downtown, but the highways that lead you there are always ridiculously congested making your travel time very long. In a move of total bone-headedness, they also placed the venue in a location inaccessible to public transportation.
Thus on the rare occasions that Toyota Park is totally rocking (like when I covered Mexico versus Panama on October 11th), getting in and out of that place is a logistical nightmare.
Whenever I’ve covered the Fire, the stadium has been half empty and lacking in real atmosphere.
When I’ve covered the women’s professional team, the National Women Soccer League’s Red Stars, the venue has been so empty that you could literally count up all the fans to estimate the real attendance. Being in a 75-80% stadium, no matter the reason you’re there, is not an experience I’d wish on anybody. Time to inject some life into an elite place to see a game! This is a moment for the Chicago Fire to step up and make themselves not only locally, but nationally relevant.
Work with the city of Bridgeview! Get better infrastructure and urban planning experts to make the park more accessible. Work with the city of Chicago to finally have a public transportation option in place to finally make the park accessible by that means.
Bottom Line:
You got to think that Schweinsteiger would love coming to the greatest summer city in the entire world, right?! (I know better than to not ever dare say “greatest city in the world,” as every single Broadway musical ever as already ascribed that status to New York)
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/740394820183687168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Especially when his new season would be during summer, as the MLS operates its schedule opposite to the rest of the world. Overall, Wayne Rooney would be the splash hire #cf97 needs not Schweinsteiger. The German midfielder would be a huge get for the Fire, but it wouldn’t be enough to put them into postseason contention. It would sell some more tickets, but not an Earth-shattering amount.
For Schweinsteiger, there are many positives in making this move.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and NBC Chicago.com, contributes to Chicago Tribune.com, Bold, WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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