Bastian Schweinsteiger has enjoyed a magnificent soccer career, winning numerous trophies with German soccer giants Bayern Munich. The former Germany international now plays in the Major League Soccer for Chicago Fire, after he moved from Manchester United in March this year.
The 32-year-old has had an instant impact and scored a goal on his debut for his new club. Schweinsteiger has now revealed his reason for coming to the MLS in an interview with ESPN.
Schweinsteiger wants to help the MLS evolve
Having played for both Bayern Munich and Manchester United, Schweinsteiger has been part of two of Europe's top leagues.
However, the former Germany captain believes that the MLS has the potential to be just as good as the Bundesliga or the Premier League.
"What I could feel in the six weeks I'm here is that this league has so much potential," said Schweinsteiger in an interview with Taylor Twellman.
Furthermore, the former Bundesliga star said that one of the reasons he moved to Chicago Fire was to help the American league reach its promising potential.
"I think the potential is there and I would like to help that MLS comes to that level and that the best American players are not moving to Europe," the 32-year-old added.
'Soccer is still young [in the U.S.],' says Schweinsteiger
According to Schweinsteiger, the U.S.
has some of the best sports leagues in the world. The 2014 World Cup Winner claimed that Americans were the best at "baseball, ice hockey, American football, and basketball."
He further explained why he believes that the MLS is still lagging behind the European leagues.
"I think it has to do as well something with the tradition.
As I said before soccer is still young [in the U.S.]," said Schweinsteiger.
As such, Schweinsteiger wants to help the MLS reach a similar level to the top European leagues, including the Bundesliga, the Premier League, and La Liga.
In past years, the MLS has attracted many European stars, such as Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard, and Thierry Henry, who were in the late stages of their career.
As such, the league has often been mocked for its lack of competitiveness, as aging players, who were long past their prime, were still able to dominate in the MLS.
Nonetheless, the MLS has constantly expanded and improved over the last decade. For example, David Beckham, who played for L.A. Galaxy between 2007 and 2012, is currently in the process of building a new MLS team in Miami.
