Atlanta United faces tough test with Schweinsteiger, Chicago

“He’s been doing what he’s been doing for such a long time at such a high level that the game slows down for him,” Atlanta United (5-5-3) captain Michael Parkhurst said. “He makes the easy things look really simple and the hard things look easy.”

The best perspective on Schweinsteiger’s importance as a player and icon in Germany may come from Atlanta United midfielder Julian Gressel.

Growing up in Germany, Gressel idolized Schweinsteiger, who is 10 years his senior. Gressel said Schweinsteiger is the Kobe Bryant of Germany in terms of adulation, appreciation and accomplishments.

“He is one of the legends in Germany, especially in this era because he’s won a World Cup,” Gressel said. “He’s played unbelievably great. He’s been a leader not just for Bayern, but for the national team. He’s just a tremendous player.”

The signing was panned by some. Schweinsteiger, 32, was thought to be old to make a difference, re-inforcing the “MLS is a retirement home” narrative. Chicago already had spent a lot of energy rebuilding its midfield with Dax McCarty and Juninho. Where would Schweinsteiger play? Plus, he was dealing with injuries that didn’t help him in a short stint at his previous club, Manchester United.

Chicago, which was coming off back-to-back last-place finishes in the East, obviously felt they needed to do more and were willing to take what at the time was considered a big gamble.

"If I have to go down, and I go down with one of the greatest champions in the history of soccer, I'll feel pretty good I made a good choice," Chicago general manager Nelson Rodriguez told MLSSoccer.com on March 22 . "But I suspect Bastian is going to make me a better pro, a better general manager, and he's going to make us all better. And, in the end, I think we'll look at this and say, 'This was a pivotal moment where our ambition and our vision caught up with our hopeful execution to make us a global club.'"

The Fire were 1-1-1 and coming off the 4-0 shellacking at Bobby Dodd Stadium when Schweinsteiger made his debut in Chicago’s next game against Montreal. He scored the opening goal in the 17th minute on a header after finding space about 6 yards from goal. It was the first of his two goals this season.

Though capable of scoring (24 goals for Germany in 121 appearances), it’s Schweinsteiger’s passing that makes him dangerous and what Atlanta United’s players said they must try to stop.

The key will be not to let Schweinsteiger have time to pick out the perfect pass to Chicago’s stable of weapons, which includes Nemanja Nikolic, the league’s leading scorer with 11 goals, and David Accam, who has seven goals.

Of course, most opponents over the years have said they must stop Schweinsteiger. It’s easier said than done. He moves well, proving wrong the skeptics that said he could no longer run. He will tackle to win the ball back. And when he gets it …

“We have to take special care and be aware of what he does on the field because he can unlock you pretty quickly,” Gressel said.

Stopping Schweinsteiger starts with pressuring Chicago’s defenders when they have the ball. Parkhurst said they can’t be given the time to find Schweinsteiger. It remains to be seen which Atlanta United players will have that task. Josef Martinez, who hasn’t played since the 4-0 defeat of Chicago after sustaining a thigh injury while playing for the Venezuelan national team, may be eligible to play this week. Attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron played more than 70 minutes for Paraguay on Thursday. He may not be available.

Should either not play, Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino may have to try stop Schweinsteiger and Chicago with a re-shuffled lineup. A difficult task made even more difficult.

“He’s an important piece that we have to make sure we figure out,” Parkhurst said.