Fire GM: German midfielder Schweinsteiger can help us on the field
This is the case of the right move at the wrong time, at least from an on-field perspective.
Off the field, there was no better time than the present.
The Chicago Fire announced Tuesday it has signed 32-year-old German central midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger from Manchester United to a one-year, $4.5 million designated player contract pending his physical, international transfer certificate and visa. There is a mutual contract option for 2018.
It's possible he could play in the April 1 home game against Montreal at Toyota Park if he arrives in Chicago by the middle of next week, general manager Nelson Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez called him "one of the great champions in all of sport."
It's a move that would have made more sense in December - or in 2010 - than it does now on the field. Off-the-field matters are another issue.
Last season the Fire's weakness was in central midfield. The team filled that hole in December when it signed Juninho, and in January when it traded for Dax McCarty. Both are highly regarded MLS veterans.
That's what makes this signing a head-scratcher. Schweinsteiger basically plays the same role on the field as McCarty and Juninho, not to mention third-year pro Matt Polster, who is due back from a knee injury soon. The Fire's needs now are elsewhere: the back line and a playmaker, someone who can make the final pass that leads to a goal.
Schweinsteiger may not seem like a good fit for playmaker, but Rodriguez indicated he might be tried there. He certainly won't plug the holes on the back line.
"Throughout my career, I've always sought opportunities where I hoped to make a positive impact and to help make something great," Schweinsteiger said in a statement released through the club. "My move to Chicago Fire is no different. Through my conversations with Nelson and (Fire coach Veljko Paunovic), I'm convinced by the club's vision and philosophy and I want to help them with this project."
How much Schweinsteiger will be on the field, however, is uncertain. Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho clearly believed Schweinsteiger is past his prime, at least by Premier League standards, rarely playing him this season. He also has been injury-prone throughout his career.
So why did the Fire do this? Because the club needs his presence off the field as much as on it.
After placing last in MLS the past two seasons and 19th in attendance last year - and because the Fire will host the All-Star Game at Soldier Field in early August - the Fire (1-1-1, 4 points) needs someone to attract attention. Schweinsteiger already is attracting a lot of attention from media, fans and sponsors as the franchise tries to regain its standing in Chicago and the league.
Schweinsteiger won a World Cup with Germany in 2014, and his wife is former professional tennis star Ana Ivanovic. His resume is impeccable, his name well-known to soccer fans, especially in Chicago's sizable German community.
He's a marketing star. But that's not why the Fire signed him, Rodriguez said.
"I hope not," Rodriguez said. "We make decisions for soccer reasons. We make decisions to try to win games on the field. We make decisions to try to build a championship program.
"In this case it would be foolish to deny there are a lot of ancillary benefits to having a personality, a character and a history that comes with somebody like Bastian Schweinsteiger. But this is a soccer decision. This decision was made by Pauno and me, and we should be judged by that."
They will be judged by how he demands attention from opposing teams on the field.