The journalist who infamously asked Bastian Schweinsteiger whether Chicago Fire could win the World Cup has come forward to explain his awkward question.

Derek Henkle, an AFP video journalist, says he was actually trying to establish whether the German's arrival would help the MLS club win major trophies, such as the Fifa Club World Cup.

Of course, by saying World Cup and not Club World Cup, it was widely assumed that Henkle was asking the impossible of Schweinsteiger.

MLS teams can qualify for the Club World Cup by winning the Concacaf Champions League.