CHICAGO (Jan. 27, 2018) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club will take on reigning German Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich on Aug. 28 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The match will serve as a tribute to current Fire midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.
“I’m really looking forward to walking back out at the Allianz Arena and hopefully meeting lots of fans who’ve been there since the start of my career,” said Schweinsteiger. “I’m especially looking forward to seeing the fans on the south terrace, as we’ve always had a great relationship.”
Schweinsteiger will play one half for each team. Tickets for the match are available now from www.fcbayern.com/de/tickets.
“I especially want to thank Bayern Munich, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß, as well as Andrew Hauptman and Nelson Rodríguez from the Chicago Fire for making the match possible,” said Schweinsteiger.
“It is a great honor to have been invited to participate in a match with a legendary club such as Bayern Munich and in honoring one of the game’s great champions and sportsmen,” said Fire general manager Nelson Rodríguez. “Bastian is deserving of this recognition and we are grateful to both him and Bayern for including Chicago Fire SC.”
In 2017, his first season with the Men in Red, Schweinsteiger appeared in a total of 24 regular season matches. In addition to scoring in his MLS debut against the Montreal Impact on April 1, Schweinsteiger scored game-winning goals against the New England Revolution on April 15 and the Montreal Impact on Sept. 2. He also tallied six assists as the Fire finished the regular season with the third best overall record in the league. For his efforts, Schweinsteiger was named to his first MLS All-Star Game and captained the side against Real Madrid at Soldier Field on Aug. 2.
A reigning World Cup champion with Germany in 2014, Schweinsteiger’s international debut came on June 6, 2004 against Hungary, launching a national team career that would lead to appearances in three World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014) and four UEFA European Championships (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). He holds the German record for most UEFA European Championship appearances with 18, a mark he achieved in 2016 as captain of Die Mannschaft. Internationally, he boasts 24 goals in 121 appearances for Germany.
As a club player, Schweinsteiger helped Bayern Munich to the UEFA Champions League crown in 2012-13, a year in which he also earned Bundesliga Player of the Year honors. Schweinsteiger won eight Bundesliga titles during his time with Bayern Munich, and also has seven DFB-Pokal (German Cup) championships. In all, the German international has been a part of 23 major domestic and international cups during his playing career.
During his 16-year club career, Schweinsteiger has amassed 73 goals and 109 assists in 559 first team games. He signed his first professional contract in December of 2002, joining Bayern Munich after four years in their youth system. Schweinsteiger remained with the Bavarian side for 13 years before his move to Manchester United in July of 2015.
Additional details for Fire fans will be released in the coming weeks.
The Men in Red begin regular season play when they host Opening Day against Sporting Kansas City at Toyota Park on Saturday, March 10 at 5 p.m. CT. Tickets are available by calling 888-MLS-FIRE or visiting www.chicago-fire.com/tickets.
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