Let’s be honest here, does anyone really dislike Bastian Schweinsteiger?For all of his horrible treatment at the hands of Jose Mourinho this season, the German remained astonishingly professional and supported his side as if he were the first name on the team sheet.Even the Special One himself was feeling apologetic when Schweinsteiger finally kissed goodbye to Manchester United. That being said, his Chicago Fire switch seems nothing but beneficial for the German.

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After all, the 32-year-old has returned to first team football with the bit between his teeth and Chicago are reaping the benefits.

This was abundantly apparent on his MLS debut with Schweinsteiger heading home after just 16 minutes. He also produced a filthy nut meg in the same game – a 2-2 draw with Montreal Impact.

All those months on the bench in England only seems to have fuelled his long awaited return on American shores.

In addition, Schweinsteiger’s honeymoon period with Chicago is far from over and his impressive form carried over to his second match.

The ex-Bayern Munich man was at the heart of a 1-0 win over Columbus Crew and continued to flourish. Nevertheless, it was Nemanja Nikolic grabbing the headlines with his 22nd minute strike proving the winner.

Schweinsteiger very nearly stole the back pages, though, when he came mere inches away from the perfect free-kick late in the game.

With just 14 minutes left on the clock, the 32-year-old stood over a set piece temptingly positioned in the D. The German proceeded to whip his strike towards the goalkeeper’s side with the distance proving too small for a dipping effort over the wall.

Zack Steffen was up to the challenge, however, and produced a brilliant save to his left-hand side to prevent Columbus falling two goals behind. It was quite a stop as well with 22-year-old having very little time to react.

You can see how close Schweinsteiger came to glory, below:

Ultimately, Schweinsteiger won’t be too bothered. The fact he inspired Chicago to victory over the Eastern Conference leaders is reward in itself for an imperious and controlling performance in midfield.

Finding the top corner with his free-kick would simply have been the icing on the cake.

With two wins, two draws and one defeat, Chicago Fire are poised in third place in the Eastern Conference. Furthermore, Schweinsteiger might just prove the difference in making up the two-point deficit to the top.

Do you think Jose Mourinho was unnecessarily harsh to Bastian Schweinsteiger? Have YOUR say in the comment box below