All eyes in the American soccer world were focused on Chicago this weekend as Major League Soccer’s newest superstar suited up for the Fire as they faced the Montreal Impact. The media in Bastian Schweinsteiger’s home country, Germany, also took notice as their former national team captain took to the stage across the Atlantic.
Unsure of how he may fare after very little playing time for Manchester United this season and a quick turnaround from arriving in Chicago on Tuesday evening to taking the field Saturday, the German media may have had reason to be apprehensive going into Saturday’s match.
Ninety-three minutes later and there was no question as to how the former Bayern Munich star had performed. As his coach Veljko Paunovic said post game of his new acquisition, "Everything that we were expecting, he showed in this game."
That was the sentiment throughout Germany, as praise poured in from every corner of Schweini’s home country. Beyond the obvious, his 17th-minute opening goal, the consensus in Germany was clearly that the Bavarian had played a great all around game and earned his ‘Man of the Match’ honors.
Here are some of the top stories on Schweinsteiger’s debut American debut
Bild: "Schweinsteiger with strong debut for Chicago Fire"
Bild pointed out that Schweinsteiger played the entire game and that he was committed both offensively and defensively in "an impressive showing."
Sport-Bild: Schweinsteiger on Fire! Scores in debut for Chicago
With his familiar No. 31 on his back and in an attacking role, Sport-Bild noted how Schweinsteiger worked hard and consistently sought out his teammates with expert passing for 90 minutes.
Kicker: Schweinsteiger debut, ‘All that we hoped for’
Kicker observed how a whirlwind of events around the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger culminated in an "instant impact on the field" as the World Cup winner delivered his debut goal inside 17 minutes.
Süddeutsche Zeitung: First game, first goal
This outlet picked up how "Du Hast" by Rammstein blared from the Toyota Park speakers during warmups, putting a grin on Schweini’s face. They then described how "he proceeded to bring his joy to the rest of the stadium as he scored the opener in his new home."
Die Welt: What has Schweinsteiger brought with him [to MLS]?
They called it a Hollywood storyline, perfectly written as he opened the scoring. And Die Welt went as far as giving the movie a title: "He came, he saw, he headed"
Eurosport DE (Twitter)
Translation: "Welcome to the USA! In less than 17 minutes Bastian Schweinsteiger has put the ball across the goalline. Chicago has a football God."
German National Team (Twitter)
Translation: "Goal in an instant! An achievement worth celebrating. Bastian Schweinsteiger with a strong debut for the Chicago Fire."
