[Today’s news recap courtesy of new contributor Ruel Gutierrez Apostol. Be sure to check him out on Twitter.]

Basti gets a testimonial

Bastian Schweinsteiger will be returning to Bayern Munich for a testimonial, and he’s inviting a few friends along with him. The Fire announced on Saturday that the club will be traveling to Munich on Aug. 28 to face the Bavarian giants for Schweinsteiger’s testimonial. He will play one half for both sides. The Fire will be under the bright lights of the Allianz Arena just three days after they face the Crew. Fear not for the health of the team however as the Fire’s next scheduled match won’t be until Sept. 16 against Orlando City. Schweinsteiger spent 17 years with Bayern before moving to the gloomy skies of Manchester. He later joined the Fire two years later.

...and becomes a photographer once again

Remember when a fan asked to take a photo with some members of the squad and Schweinsteiger ended up taking the photo? It’s happened again. When the team arrived in Florida for their pre-season training, a fan asked to take a photo with some players. Schweinsteiger, with his disguise who could apparently fool anyway, took the photo. Maybe he should make a career out of smartphone photography after retirement.

Matt Polster earns his first cap

Polster made his USMNT starting debut in a goalless draw against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Sunday night. Although he was fairly quiet out in the pitch, he showed some moments of brilliance showing he is capable of representing the Stars and Stripes well, playing for full 90 minutes. He also played most of the game with a bloody nose, because that’s just how we do in Chicago. Polster will return back to training with the fire at the end of the month.