Tranquillo Barnetta will return to Switzerland after 2016 season

The midfielder has become a key piece for Philadelphia, and will depart after a season and a half with the club.

The Philadelphia Union have announced that Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta will return home and join FC St. Gallen at the conclusion of the 2016 season.

Barnetta joined the Union in July 2015 and has made 37 appearances for Philadelphia, scoring six goals and adding seven assists.

“The entire soccer community here was so welcoming, and I’m so thankful to everyone at Philadelphia Union for making me feel so appreciated.” Barnetta said in a club release. “Playing in front of my friends and family and making plans for life at the end of my career where I want to live is a force I…