(Update: Ibra and L.A. beat Basti and Chicago 1-0)
Saturday sees a Manchester United reunion, as the two biggest names in MLS, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Bastian Schweinsteiger, will face each other at Toyota Park when the L.A. Galaxy visit the Chicago Fire (Update: on Wednesday, the game was announced as a sell out).
This will be the first time that the two extremely storied footballers will face off as Major League Soccer players, but it won’t be the first time that they have squared off in Chicago. Ibrahimovic’s Paris Saint-Germain squad beat Schweinsteiger’s United in a 2015 International Champions Cup friendly at Soldier Field. The result ultimately decided the winner of the preseason exhibition tournament.
The next summer saw Ibrahimovic join a United side that would go on to win three trophies (EFL Cup, Community Shield and Europa League). Schweinsteiger left for Chicago in late March, but still earned a Europa League medal, due to the minutes he had logged earlier in the tournament.
He’s now been in MLS for just over a year, and currently he’s playing in the back line, having switched to defense from his traditional midfielder position.Â
“He definitely helps our defense to feel more confident and be more organized and helps the team that way,” said Fire Coach Veljko Paunovic of Schweinsteiger’s new role in the back line.
“Definitely we want, I want, to help Bastian to do even more. But as I said today, his personality is amazing because he accepts the roles knowing that he’s going to help the team.”
“At this point we, unfortunately, have to figure it out and we have to fix things and Bastian is one of the players that can play any role.”
The Fire are 15-20-7 all-time in regular season matches against the Galaxy and hold a 9-9-3 record in matches played at home. Chicago is off to a slow start this season, which is a tad disappointing considering the breakthrough they made last year after Schweinsteiger arrived.
“The difference from last year is not easy to say but we have to work, we have to improve our technical mistakes in the game, happens too much, happens too many times that we lose the ball because of that,” Schweinsteiger said of the differences between last season and this one.
“To play a smart ball, to be aware of some situations a little bit earlier, quicker thinking, all these things make a big impact for our game, and we have to work on that. “
You could not have scripted a better beginning in MLS for Ibrahimovic. The 36-year-old seems to have a team in L.A. that’s a perfect match for his outsized personality. The Swede entered the first ever Los Angeles derby between the Galaxy and LAFC in the 71st minute, with his side down 3-1. His two goals, one of which was all the way from 40 yards out, highlighted the Galaxy comeback, in a story book 4-3 win.
Ibrahimovic was introduced as a substitute after 62 minutes at home in a loss to Sporting Kansas City this past Sunday, and perhaps Saturday will see his first start in L.A?
“I watched MLS and I was curious what the standard was, what it can become,” Ibrahimovic said of his first two matches in MLS.
“I had played in the U.S. before but only in preseason, which is nothing like competitive football. I think it was the right decision at this moment in my career.”
“You feel good here. The game is less intense here. You can handle it better, control it. But I still want to help, chip in, and above all, win. If I win here, I will have won everywhere.”
Last season, Schweinsteiger did advocate the idea of Zlatan crossing the Atlantic and joining him in MLS, and it appears to be the right call thus far. Schweinsteiger was able to speak from his own experiences to give solid career advice.
The Swede’s instant success in MLS was also forecasted by Fire and USMNT legend Brian McBride at the MLS All-Star week in Chicago last summer.
Ibrahimovic and Schweinsteiger have both accomplished a lot during their legendary careers, and Saturday brings a new chapter, one in which we will see them in new and different roles.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Leave a Reply