When Bastian Schweinsteiger arrived with the Fire, there was some skepticism whether the 32-year-old had much left to give.
He hadn't played in any Premier League matches this season at Manchester United due to injuries and manager Jose Mourinho preferring other players ahead of him.
After two goals and an assist in three games with the Fire, in which the team has a 2-0-1 record, the early returns are positive for Schweinsteiger. So was the 'Schweinsteiger is done' narrative wrong?
Kurt Larson wrote on MLSsoccer.com saying as much:
"All of us – including myself – once again have proven our reactionary takes and inferiority complexes are sometimes blinding. We're too eager to latch onto whatever narrative people around the world are perpetuating, often times nonsensically. It's how North American media somehow turned a 32-year-old, World Cup-winner into a broken down, one-way midfielder with nothing left to give."
It's a bit early to be saying Schweinsteiger has proven the doubters wrong. He still has to endure a full season while staying relatively injury-free, but through three games he definitely has.
In the current era of MLS, these signings are starting to be given a skeptical eye, and maybe that's a good thing for the growth of the league. Similar reactions are popping up regarding the speculation of where Chelsea defender John Terry may end up.
Chicago Fire
Some aging famous players have not worked out in the past and some will likely not work in the future. That's part of professional sports and at least the skepticism shows MLS is becoming more about results on the field than attention off it.