Former Bayern Munich and Manchester United man Bastian Schweinsteiger knew exactly what he was getting into when he moved to American Major League Soccer. He has now publicly expressed that sentiment, in detail, along with voicing some of the frustrations that he’s experiencing in the USA top flight.
At first, Schweinsteiger adjusted amazingly well to life with the Chicago Fire in MLS. He scored just 18 minutes into his first MLS game, and the Fire took five points from the German national team legend’s first three in Chicago, all at home.
If anything, Schweinsteiger and his team may have adjusted “too well,” before reality set in- a “market correction” if you will.
The Fire rose to second place in the Eastern Conference standings before hitting the road for three, a poor road trip that yielded just one point. The disappointing stretch has now dropped the Fire to sixth place.
“Chicago Fire finished as the bottom club in the previous two seasons, and I did not expect that we’d win every match, and finish on top by a mile,” Schweinsteiger told Suddeutsche Zeitung, the most read newspaper in southern Germany about his expectations upon his arrival in the United States.
“One player’s influence in football is not as big as in other sports, it’s 11 players vs. 11 players. And we didn’t play all that bad until now and were pretty much on [the same] level in our losses to Toronto and New York Red Bulls, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
“We all know that this league is just not like the Premier League or the Bundesliga, and, of course, it can be frustrating on the pitch at times when things discussed [in the team meeting] are not implemented or when somebody loses a ball or just does not have an eye for the teammate.”
“I don’t blame anyone for it, that’s my problem — I need to adapt to the league and cope with those situations,” the Captain of the 2014 World Cup champion Germany side said.
This is not news that MLS is of a quality that’s far below the top flights in Europe. It’s a truth that’s widely understood, by Schweinsteiger himself who said:
“If you compare it to Bayern Munich or the national team [Germany], the difference is huge. But I knew what I let myself in for.
“The league is interesting because it’s evident everyone can beat everyone. And sometimes things happen you just don’t understand. This might be referee decisions or the running paths or passes of a teammate. It’s different than in Europe, but you have to take things as they are.”
Bastian expressed his issues with the fundamental problems he sees with Fire teammates and MLS position on the pitch.
“Not everything is seen that happens on the pitch — the teammate in a good position, where it might get dangerous, how a situation develops. Too many balls are lost as well. But that’s normal.
“If this were not the case, the people would not play in the United States but rather in the Bundesliga, Premier League or La Liga. Still, MLS has potential, a lot of potential.”
It’s very interesting to see the different tone taken by specific outlets in the manner they have reported Basti’s remarks made in Bavaria’s paper of record, and editorialized them in unique slants..
The Daily Mirror in England labeled Bastian Schweinsteiger as “already fed up.” America’s ESPN FC headlined his remarks as “Schweinsteiger says difference between Europe and MLS is huge.”
The Daily Mirror describes Schweinsteiger as “struggling to adapt.”
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, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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