Union Player Profile: Midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta
Fan-favorite midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta provided lots of great memories for the Blue and Gold as he spent two seasons in Philadelphia.
Before arriving in Philly, Barnetta had played eight seasons on Bayern Leverkusen, logged two seasons with Schalke 04, spent the majority of one season on loan with Eintracht Frankfurt, and had another loan spell Hannover 96.
The Switzerland native signed with Bayer Leverkusen when he was only 19 years old, as he made 229 total appearances while scoring 26 goals and adding 51 assists in his time there.
Barnetta joined the Philadelphia Union on July 29, 2015, as a free transfer. With Schalke 04 from 2012-15, he notched 60 total appearances and scored three goals.
He competed at the top levels including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Europa League.
He has recorded 75 international caps for Switzerland, and seven starts in the World Cup. He has also logged 11 appearances in Champions League matches and 33 total appearances in the Europa League/UEFA Cup.
Tranquillo made his MLS debut as a substitute on Aug. 1, 2015, against the New York Red Bulls in a 3-1 home loss. In his eighth appearance and seventh start with the Union, he scored a goal and assist against Houston Dynamo on Sep. 20, in a 2-0 victory. I was fortunate enough to sit near midfield in the lower portion of the seats at PPL Park. He was a fascinating player to watch live as he truly dominated the game and controlled the midfield from the first minute to minute 90.
In Barnetta’s 11-game stint in 2015, he tallied one goal and three assists for the Boys in Blue. On Sep. 5 he served as the captain of the team for the first time against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Barnetta’s best Union goal came in the 2016 season at home against Orlando City SC.
The game occurred on Friday night as his golazo provided for a memorable goal call on UniMás. “You always try to hit it like that but it doesn’t usually happen. I’m happy that I hit it the right way the second time,” said Barnetta.
Barnetta entered the match in the 63rd minute and had a free opportunity in the 78′ but muffed it. Then with the game tied at one in the 90′ he got another chance, and boy did he redeem himself. With Tranquillo’s other teammates lining up behind Orlando’s defensive wall to block goalie Joe Bendik’s view, the Swiss midfielder perfectly struck the ball. Then the kick curled into the upper 90 portions of the net, as it went bar down over the line to give the Union the win, and the Sons of Ben behind the net went ballistic.
“It was a moment of brilliance,” former Union right back Keegan Rosenberry said.
This was arguably one of the best free-kick goals in franchise history, as I still remember watching it in my living room to this day.
All in all, Tranquillo Barnetta was a generational talent he decided to take his talents to the city of Brotherly Love in the latter part of his career. Barnetta was truly a beloved player for the U and I’m glad that I had the chance to watch him play for my favorite team.
As for Union fans, they continue to consider him as one of the best to rep the Blue and Gold due to the fantastic moments that he provided in his short stint in Philly.
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