From Steven Gerrard to Andrea Pirlo to Frank Lampard to Didier Drogba to…the list goes on and on. We’ve seen numerous European stars cross the pond, almost always after the age of 35, sometimes at the age of 36 or 37, to play in American Major League Soccer.
For this specific group of players, these stints in MLS have ultimately proven to be the final destination in their playing careers. This trend, coupled with the fact that the biggest brand name stars to ever play in MLS pretty much all did so in the twilight of their careers, has led to the MLS being stereotyped as a ‘retirement league.’
Bastian Schweinsteiger, 32, insists he is not one to be classified in this category.
“I disagree. I’m here, I’m still fit, and I want to help Chicago Fire to reach their goals,” Schweinsteiger responded when a reporter posed this idea to him.
“I’m not thinking about that. I’m 32, I’m in good shape, I could have chosen something else, but I was looking for Chicago Fire and MLS. It’s a very interesting league, especially the philosophy and ideas of the head coach, of Nelson Rodriguez. It has impressed me a lot, and I’m looking forward to help improve the club,” he said after scoring in the 17′ of his very first game.
Schweinsteiger started, played all 90 minutes and earned the Man of the Match award in the Chicago Fire’s 2-2 draw with the Montreal Impact.
Schweinsteiger spoke very highly of the league’s competitiveness level.
“It’s intense, but it’s not easy after the first match to speak about the level of MLS,” Schweinsteiger said.
“I’m more focused on our game, I want that we improve, that we control the games, that we are effective, that we use our chances, that we stay compact. We didn’t give away too many chances today, but they scored two goals. I like to have clean sheets and to score two or three goals.”
“It was not easy, we had a red card, but I said to the team that it was a good reaction. It was ten players, we had chances and it was a very good reaction. I think we deserved a draw at the end, we have to leave today with one point, but it was a very good reaction.”
You can hear the Bastian Schweinsteiger postgame audio over at this link.
For those who do espouse the MLS “retirement league” narrative, they should consider this point- the biggest names in any sport, the athletes who have accomplished the most, are often older in years.
By definition, they have to be seasoned veterans in order to accumulate years of experience, awards and championships…something to think about.
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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