Bastian Schweinsteiger has said that he will not sign with another European club after Jose Mourinho and Manchester United have cast him aside. This opens up the strong possibility that the German international midfielder makes his way to the United States. Surely, there is a team out there willing to bring a former international star on a designated player contract.
What sort of team are we looking for? First off, they need to have a lot of money for a designated player deal. Schweinsteiger makes £160,000 ($210,826.70) a week to sit in the stands at Old Trafford. That’s almost $11 million a year. It’s going to take a lot of money in wages to get him to play stateside.
The club will also need to open a DP slot if none is available. Whether this involves selling a current player or buying one down with Targeted Allocation Money, they will certainly need that room for Schweinsteiger.
Of course, ability to win in the immediate future cannot hurt, but there could also be a team looking to sell a few extra tickets willing to take him on. That strategy has worked out quite well for Colorado Rapids this year.
So, who are the best clubs for Bastian Schweinsteiger in MLS?
The Best Clubs for Bastian Schweinsteiger in MLS
LA Galaxy
The Galaxy are always the first team mentioned with any big European star looking to retire in America. They certainly have a reputation for bringing in the old timers that dates back to David Beckham, the first ever designated player. They have three DPs already, though. Would they be able to ship off or buy down one of Gio Dos Santos, Robbie Keane, or Steven Gerrard?
New York City FC
Here’s the second team that comes up with any old Euro. New York City also has all three slots full, but Frank Lampard got off to a rocky start with the club, so maybe he gets kicked to the curb? Can you imagine a midfield with Andrea Pirlo and Bastian Schweinsteiger setting up David Villa up front?
Atlanta United
Arthur Blank is filthy rich, so he will have the money to pay him. They only have one (small) former European player on the roster so far in Kenwyne Jones. They’re already selling season tickets at an alarming rate, so why not rope in a few more with a marketable international star?
Los Angeles FC
Will Farrell’s new club has yet to sign a player and they presumably have a lot of money to throw around on a designated player contract. There wouldn’t be any roster shenanigans to work around, since they don’t have a roster yet. The trouble is, they don’t start play for another two seasons. Schweinsteiger will have to go out on loan, presumably to Europe, until the 2018 MLS season gets underway.
FC Dallas
Dallas has a designated player slot open. can win right now, and probably has a decent amount of cash to pay him. They are more known as a club to bring up young kids and win with them, but who’s saying they can’t break those rules to bring an MLS Cup back to Texas?
Plenty of MLS sides will be willing to bring Bastian Schweinsteiger on. The only question to be answered is which one is willing to do enough shaking of their current roster to squeeze him in. Of these options, I tend to like Atlanta United the best. They’ve got the cash thanks to their rich ownership group. They have the attention of the local fan base already. Why not start their franchise off in a similar way to New York City and Orlando City did last year?
