By FRANCO PANIZO

Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Tim Cahill, Clint Dempsey. What all those players have in common aside from being very talented is that they all initially struggled in MLS after joining the league in the summer.

They are not the only cases either. History has had a way of repeating itself with midseason acquisitions in MLS, but the Philadelphia Union are hoping that will not be the case with their newest player.

The Union signed Switzerland international Tranquillo Barnetta earlier this week in one of the biggest moves in club history. Barnetta – who was signed via Targeted Allocation Money – should provide an upgrade for a club that lacks star power and consistency, but a big question that remains is: how quickly will he be able to contribute?

While Philadelphia has said the 30-year-old midfielder will be available for Saturday’s game against the New York Red Bulls, the club knows that it cannot play him for 90 minutes. He is joining the Union following his offseason and will need to get back to full fitness.

Barnetta also needs to adapt to his new teammates on the field and get adjusted to life off of it as well. In the past, that process has taken up to as many as several months in some cases, but Philadelphia believes that Barnetta will enjoy a smooth adaptation period.

“I think every case is different, every player adapts differently, and the fact that Tranquillo is a humble, good person first will help in that transition,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said. “He doesn’t come with an arrogance or any feeling that he’s above MLS or anything like that. I think that is a good thing we have going on our side, and of course there’s going to be getting used to (your teammates).

“He just trained in a training session where there was possible Homegrown guys out there, college trialists, so, again, it’s a unique environment that he’s walking into. It’s not one that is the same. He’ll adapt quickly, we’re confident in that, and the soccer side speaks for itself.”

Barnetta, himself, is aware of the difficulties that come from not only switching clubs and leagues but also moving to another country. The lifestyle is different, the culture is different, and all of it plays an overlooked but key impact on performance.

Barnetta, however, wanted a change of scenery and a new obstacle to tackle head-on after spending the past 11 years playing in Germany. The Union provide him that, and he’s hungry to repay their faith in him.

Still, Barnetta will need help from Union teammates and officials if he is to adjust quick enough and help salvage a season that is, as of now, one to forget.

“I know that people around they expect a lot of me, so it will be a big challenge for me,” said Barnetta. “I hope that the team first will be able to help me and then it will be a good start for me and then we will see what happens in the end. I think my lone objective is to want to try to go to the playoffs still, so we take every game step by step, and then at the end, we will see what the results (are).”

Curtin has big plans for Barnetta, who the head coach said will likely serve in a No. 8 role in the current 4-2-3-1 formation the Union uses. Curtin knows the offensive skills that Barnetta possesses – Philadelphia has been scouting him for more than a year – and wants his new signing to show it in games. Not next year, but this year.

Other European-based players making the move to MLS have had to wait until their second seasons to really thrive. That’s when families are more settled, players have proper preseasons and are more used to the way things work on and off the field.

The hope is that Barnetta can go be one of the few midseason signings to deliver from the start, but that all falls on the Union’s shoulders.

Not just his.

“The pressure is not on Tranquillo,” said Curtin. “The pressure is on the guys that currently here, the current teammates to step up their game, and I need to step up mine, and he just needs to be himself. That’s as simple as it can be put. It’s important for everybody else here in making the transition as smooth as possible.

“Again, I put that on the rest of the group. They’ve done a good job welcoming him, and now we have to do the part on the field so that when Tranquillo steps on the field he doesn’t have to go outside of his comfort level, he just has to be himself. Everybody else gives a little bit more to make it easier for him. I have to do that myself as well.”