The Chicago Fire are well and truly on their way to winning the World Cup if Bastian Schweinsteiger’s debut is anything to go by. The former German international took all of 17 minutes to open his MLS account with Chicago after planting a header into the net from a superb David Accam cross.
What can we expect to see during the match between the Chicago Fire and the Montreal Impact Saturday, which could mark Bastian Schweinsteiger's debut in the USA?
The first thing that we can expect to see is a motivated and energetic crowd. The last time the Fire had a legend in their midst was in 2007 when Mexican hero Cuauhtemoc Blanco joined the team.
One of the most annoying trends (which we will be participating in, by the way) on the internet is publishers publishing obviously false stories on April Fools Day. This year, April Fools Day is on a Saturday, so many publishers are doing something even more annoying, publishing their "fools" on March 31 instead. Enter the Charlotte Independence, who published a thing about signing former NFL wide receiver Randy Moss.
The United States’ recent match against Panama conjured memories of one of the greatest performances by any American in World Cup qualifying. Eddie Johnson, then just 20 years old, took his total to four goals in only two international appearances by scoring a hat trick against Panama in only seventeen-minutes back in 2004.
A very interesting guest was on hand for the Chicago Bulls' win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday night in Chicago, a man who was once at the top of his sport but has seen the sands of time take their inevitable toll. He is not what he once was, though he can still be effective at times. It is, perhaps, better to remember the good times, all those years ago, when he was the best in the world at what he did, than to look upon him now, a shadow of his former self.
But enough about Dwyane Wade. Bastian Schweinsteiger was there!
Remember when Bastian Schweinsteiger was introduced to the Chicago Fire? And that guy asked him if the club had a real shot at a World Cup with his joining of the squad?
American reporter: "Can you win the World Cup with Chicago Fire?"
Bastian Schweinsteiger: ... pic.twitter.com/rco9Vf6icZ— Photos of Football (@photosofootball) March 30, 2017
MLS team valuations have soared in recent years, with the average now at $185 million according to Forbes, but the league is still a long way from fielding a product that competes with the upper-tier of European leagues.
If everything continues the way it is, the 2018 World Cup will be a 48-team tournament instead of the 32-team format we have now.
Now, how exactly will this expanded world cup tournament work?
Obviously the addition of all of these teams will have to result in reformatting the World Cup process, so the group stage will have 16 groups of three teams each, with the top team moving on from each group. From there on out, the knockout stage will be the same.
We know what Bruce Arena thinks of Jermaine Jones. He thinks that he’s got an engine, that he’s experienced and that he’s the type of player that can help the United States qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The 35-year-old was arguably America’s best player at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Copa America Centenario.