Union's Barnetta knows next loss will be his finale with team
Midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta is playing every game as if it is his last. And in his Major League Soccer career with the Union, that will be the case with his next loss.
Midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta is playing every game as if it is his last. And in his Major League Soccer career with the Union, that will be the case with his next loss.
Barnetta announced last month that this would be his final season with the Union and he will return to FC St. Gallen in his native Switzerland.
The Union earned the sixth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot and will visit third seeded Toronto in the one-game knockout round on Wednesday.
"I don't think about it," Barnetta said Monday after training about his potential final game. "It makes you sad and not focused, so you try not to think about it."
A three-time member of Switzerland's World Cup team, Barnett has made an impact since joining the Union in August 2015.
He has five goals and four assists in 29 games this season. His goals have been meaningful for the Union, who earned the final Eastern Conference playoff spot over the New England Revolution based on the second tiebreaker, goal differential.
Two of his goals came in wins and the other three came in draws.
Things haven't been completely smooth for the 31-year-old player. Barnetta has dealt with tendinitis in his knee this season. "The knee won't be a problem Wednesday," he said.
Barnetta entered a 2-0 loss to the visiting New York Red Bulls in the 62nd minute Sunday and received a huge ovation.
"He been embraced by the fan base," Union coach Jim Curtin said. "I have talked a ton of how special of a player he is and such a great attribute for the Union."
So as the Union (11-14-9) get ready for Toronto (14-9-11), Barnetta is insistent on looking at the present and not the future.
"There is still a chance my time here goes on and I am going to focus on that," he said. "It's a knockout game and we know we need to win and it's great that I can still play with all my teammates."
Injuries
Curtin said that defender Josh Yaro, who had been out with a concussion, is recovering from that injury but is out for this week with a knee injury. . . . Warren Creavalle, who injured his ribs Sunday, is hoping to play, according to Curtin, but the team had not received the results of scans taken Monday.
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