Union's Vincent Nogueira sidelined with quad injury

Union midfielder Vincent Nogueira will miss the foreseeable future with a right quad injury, coach Jim Curtin said at his weekly news conference Wednesday.

Curtin said he hopes Nogueira will return in three to four weeks, but he said the team has to be careful because the quad has a tear. Nogueira played in the Union's 3-2 loss to D.C. United on Sunday, subbing in for Cristian Maidana in the 80th minute. Nogueira told Curtin before the game that he could play for 10 to 15 minutes at the end, and injured his quad swinging for a ball.

The 27-year-old from France has five goals in 16 games (15 starts) this season. The highlight of Nogueira's season was his two goals in a 3-0 win over Portland on July 11, which landed him on the MLS team of the week.

"To lose Vincent is a big loss to us," Curtin said. "He was in the form that we saw all last year when he was kind of flying."

Curtin said he hadn't decided on who will replace Nogueira at center defensive midfielder, where he has played next to Brian Carroll. The coach mentioned Zach Pfeffer as a possible replacement. The Union (6-12-4) will host the New York Red Bulls (8-6-5) at PPL Park at 7 p.m. Saturday.

In other injury news, Curtin said Andrew Wenger was recovering well from a concussion and would be reevaluated Thursday. Curtin added that Rickie Marquez, who is recovering from an ankle injury, cut well in practice but hasn't been tested in live action.

The Union finally sealed the deal on signing Swiss national team midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta.

Barnetta is among the highest-profile players the team has ever acquired, up there with Freddy Adu, Carlos Ruiz, and Faryd Mondragón.

He will not count as a designated player, even though he'll command a big salary, because the Union paid his salary down via Major League Soccer's recently unveiled targeted allocation money mechanism.

Before joining the Union, the 30-year-old Barnetta played for German powerhouse Schalke 04. At the international level, he has played for Switzerland since 2004, including at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. He was on the roster for the 2014 World Cup, but did not make it onto the field.

Barnetta can play in a range of midfield positions, both centrally and out wide. For the time being, he seems most likely to slot into the left wing role that has recently been Andrew Wenger's. Barnetta could make his debut as soon as Saturday.