Germany

Schweinsteiger should've had MLS assist of the year on this jaw-dropping bit of skill

Published May. 20, 2017 8:47 p.m. ET

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Caitlin Murray

When Bastian Schweinsteiger arrived at the Chicago Fire this season, he wasn't known primarily as much of a playmaker and no one was sure how he'd do in a more dedicated advanced role. But week by week, Schweinsteiger is proving he can be effective from just about anywhere in the midfield.

On Saturday, Schweinsteiger had the D.C. United defense in fits and he really deserved to get an excellent assist if Nemanja Nikolic had finished the chance that Schweinsteiger created. Take a look:

https://twitter.com/MLS/status/866056587655479296

It was a lovely bit of skill, but Nikolic managed to fire his chance way off target, despite having plenty of space and time on the ball that Schweinsteiger created close to goal. What could've been the best assist in MLS this season went to waste.

The former Manchester United star stirred controversy when he recently pointed out that MLS is at a different level than the Premier League and the Bundesliga, telling a German newspaper that, "it can be frustrating on the pitch at times when things discussed are not implemented or when somebody loses a ball." He later clarified his comments, saying he thought fans in MLS were positive whether their team was doing well or not -- but some fans might wonder if a miss like Nikolic's is what Schweinsteiger was originally talking about.

"The difference which I was talking about, and I think the guy from the German newspaper didn't understand it quite well, was here for example if you come to the games, it's a positive atmosphere in the stadium and the supporters are positive," he later said.

"There is fireworks before the game, there is the national anthem before the game so that is a huge difference to how it is in Germany, like after the warmup you touch the ball 20 minutes later. So that is a little bit different. The league, for example, the MLS is quite a young league actually but it is developing."

Regardless, Schweinsteiger has been on a bit of a roll for the Fire, who now sit second in the Eastern Conference. He's got two goals and two assists in eight games, and is a creative force for an increasingly good Fire team. And, for what it's worth, his teammate Nikolic leads the league in goals at 10 in 11 games and Saturday's was arguably his worst game this season.

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