BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – How do you build on finishing “second place in America”?
That’s what the Chicago Fire’s Bastian Schweinsteiger was contemplating as he met the local media for the first time ahead of his second season in MLS on Wednesday. The Men in Red capped a season of ambitions, excitement and rejuvenation with a deserved third-place finish in the Supporters’ Shield, behind eventual MLS Cup winners Toronto FC and New York City FC.
In strictly geographical terms, as the German correctly noted, that was good enough for second spot in the US, which means Veljko Paunovic’s men face a tall order to improve on last season’s achievements.