After a difficult 2018 season for the Chicago Fire, with many players out of contract, change may be afoot in the Windy City.
One of those whose future is up in the air is Bastian Schweinsteiger.
"I have to think about it all a little bit, have some talks, then we will see: yes or no," Schweinsteiger said Sunday after the Fire played to a scoreless draw against D.C. United. He added he's going to take a few days, just as he did last year, to make a decision about the upcoming season.
Schweinsteiger, 34, just wrapped up his second MLS season. He's made a total of 55 appearances with seven goals and 12 assists for the Fire, helping guide the team to the playoffs in 2017. Yet 2018 didn't go quite to plan, as the Fire long languished below the playoff line and finished 10th in the Eastern Conference, 18 points behind sixth-place Philadelphia Union.
"The season was not easy, we had many injured players. ... But still, we were always close in some games, teams really didn't dominate us," Schweinsteiger said. "The mentality of this team, the character, we never gave up, which was good to see. Of course, you could see throughout the season it's not a coincidence where we are."
Schweinsteiger did reveal, though, that more than a few "big name players" in Europe have asked him about life in MLS.
"There are many players that are asking me about MLS, Chicago Fire," Schweinsteiger admitted. "It's an interesting league with a lot of potential."
