Schweinsteiger to stick with Fire through 2019

Former Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger has inked a one-year extension that will keep him with the Chicago Fire through 2019, the Major League Soccer team said Wednesday.

Terms of the deal were not announced but Schweinsteiger, who will be playing his third MLS season, earned $6.1 million in total compensation in 2018, according to figures from the MLS Players Association.

“Let’s raise a trophy,” Schweinsteiger said in a statement issued by the club. “I believe in this club and I believe that we can be champions.

“This American journey has been very special for me and my family,” added Schweinsteiger, who is married to former WTA tennis player Ana Ivanovic. “I love being a part of the Chicago Fire and we appreciate how the city has embraced us with open arms.”

Schweinsteiger, who won a World Cup with Germany and a Champions League crown with Bayern Munich, joined Chicago in March of 2017 from Manchester United.

Schweinsteiger made an immediate impact, helping Chicago to the league’s third-highest regular season points total and earning a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs in his debut campaign.

But the Fire, who were MLS Cup champions in 1998, failed to qualify for the playoffs this season, finishing second from bottom in the Eastern Conference with just eight wins in 34 matches.