The unveiling of the Chicago Fire Starting XI Saturday (April 1) delivered an affirmative answer to two of the most pressing questions around the Chicago Fire this week.
Four days after touching down in Chicago, German legend Bastian Schweinsteiger is featured in Veljko Paunovic's starting side for today's matchup with the Montreal Impact, lining up on the left side of a three-man midfield that also includes U.S. international Dax McCarty and three-time MLS Cup champion Juninho.
More details on today's Chicago Fire Starting XI:
- Today marks Schweinsteiger's first competitive match since January 29, when he recorded a goal and an assist for Manchester United in a 4-0 FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic.
- Second-year centerback Jonathan Campbell makes his first start of 2017, filling in for the suspended Johan Kappelhof. Campbell played his first minutes of the year off the bench at Atlanta following Kappelhof's 11th-minute red card. Campbell, a 2016 first-round MLS SuperDraft selection out of North Carolina, started 30 of 34 games for the Fire as a rookie last season.
- Dax McCarty returns to his post in central midfield after spending much of the last two weeks in Bruce Arena's U.S. Men's National Team squad that went 1-0-1 in a pair of World Cup Qualifiers last week. McCarty was back in training for the Fire Thursday morning following Tuesday night's draw in Panama. Today marks McCarty's 249th career start in Major League Soccer.
- After being a late scratch from the squad in Atlanta due to a hamstring injury, Michael de Leeuw is available for selection off the bench today against Montreal.
- David Accam makes his 52nd MLS appearance and 46th start as a member of the Chicago Fire today. He has recorded two goals and one assist in three previous starts against the Montreal Impact.
