Atlanta United midfielder Julian Gressel is in the best form of his young career, but he has an extra reason to be excited to hit the field this weekend against the Chicago Fire. That's because the young German will be facing his childhood idol, Bastian Schweinsteiger, for the first time as a player.
“He went through the Bayern Munich youth system, and I'm a big Bayern fan so I knew him through that, but I think it all started with his first World Cup in 2006,” Gressel says. “That was the first time I remember thinking this is a great, great player.