In the 89th minute of the Fire’s game Sept. 17 against Charlotte FC with the score tied at 2, Xherdan Shaqiri was removed because of a persistent quadriceps problem. A few minutes later, Charlotte’s Karol Swiderski scored the winner, eliminating the Fire from playoff contention for a fifth straight year.
Despite leaving that game when the Fire’s season was still alive, Shaqiri traveled to meet up with Switzerland during the international window. With the World Cup opening in November, Shaqiri started on Sept. 24 and Sept. 27 and played more than 130 minutes in UEFA Nations League games.
