After an impressive career with the German national team and Bayern Munich, Bastian Schweinsteiger has hit a roadblock in Manchester. Following the 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil, he made the move to United and had a limited, but not altogether horrible season.
Even playing under former boss Louis Van Gaal didn’t see Bastian get a lot of playing time or confidence after finally arriving in England. While he definitely came several years too late to make the kind of impact he was capable of, 2016/17 appears to have brought the final blow to his European career.
Now with rumors swirling of his exit following the appointment of Jose Mourinho, MLS becomes an obvious destination option. With multiple clubs said to be interested in the midfielder, one club stepped out and stated their lack of interest in signing him.
As noted by ESPN, this past weekend the head of global soccer for the New York Red Bulls, Oliver Mintzlaff, went on record about Bastian: “Schweinsteiger is a great player who has had an amazing career. But there are no talks over a move to New York Red Bulls. He is not an issue for us and he will not become an issue."
While the Red Bulls have closed their doors, MLS commissioner has been on record stating the the league would welcome Schweinsteiger “with open arms”. So after 121 appearances for one of the most dominate national teams over the last decade, and a run with Bayern Munich which saw eight Bundesliga titles, which clubs would be willing to open their doors?
LA Galaxy
So much about this move makes sense. While yes, there is a very famous, former-United midfielder that landed in LA, there is a lot more to it than that. The Galaxy not only love the designated player rule, but thrive under it. Some teams fail to utilize their superstars correctly, but Bruce Arena appears to have the magic touch when dealing with big personalities. If Steven Gerrard retires, and with Nigel De Jong already gone, the money is there to add Schweinsteiger for 2-3 seasons.
FC Dallas
A transfer here would at first seem like an odd choice. Not only for the heat and humidity, but also because Dallas has become known for their youth and homegrown player movements. Dallas is built for speed and energy, but some experience could go a long ways both on the pitch and in the locker room. Club president Dan Hunt is on record saying he admires Schweinsteiger’s ability, and would consider him an option after the season.
Chicago Fire
Let’s be honest, the Fire need help just about everywhere. Even off the pitch, the Fire seem to be drifting away from relevance each season. Unless you are a true MLS follower, go ahead and try to name three Chicago players. If you got two I’d be impressed. This is a club in dire need for new life and energy. Bastian Schweinsteiger as a big name DP for the fans to get behind along with moving in some new attacking, young talent.
Plus the added bonus of his leadership impacted two hopeful US international players in Sean Johnson and Brandon Vincent. (There I just gave you two names - can you guess a third yet?)
Montreal Impact
Like the Galaxy, Montreal is another team that has a positive experience with the designated player rule. Both Didier Drogba and Ignacio Piatti have thrived with the Impact, and their contributions over the last two seasons are the reason they have even been in contention. With Drogba set to leave, Schweinsteiger, while not a direct replacement, could help solidify their midfield. Plus, the Impact will likely shuffle their front line to bring in fast new talent, which could benefit from his passing ability.
Schweinsteiger knows he only has a few years left in his career and will not want to spend an entire season the Manchester United bench. A January loan would help United’s books, get him back to playing sooner, and allow his new MLS club an entire-preseason to acclimate him to the league.
