Thierry Henry’s “imminent” arrival in New York has been one of the more persistent items on the MLS rumour mill. Doubtless, post that Ireland game, some wags will ask whether Henry might not be more suited to the ailing New York Knicks, given his deft handling skills. Sarcasm aside, if Henry does come here – and it is still an “if” – expect to see him not at Madison Square Garden, but at the new Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
Any excitement should be tempered by the realisation that this particular rumour has been percolating since 2007. The source was Henry himself, waxing lyrical in a New York Times interview about how much he loves New York City and American sports (especially, wags take note, basketball). And while he is not an entirely unknown commodity here, having featured alongside Roger Federer and Tiger Woods in a commercial for Gillette razors, he certainly does not have the instant recognition factor of a David Beckham.
Apparently, Henry has no problem with that. “In New York and in America, I can be myself, I have no eyes on me. It’s O.K. if I want to buy a slice of pizza, pay the man and sit on a bench. I can go to the cinema and watch a movie, and nobody knows who I am. You don’t know how great that is,” he told The Times.
Stoking the transfer talk, in August 2008 the New York Post ran a short feature in which the 32 year old again declared his love of all things American. As recently as last month, there were reports of Manchester City coach Mark Hughes speculating that Henry was in talks with the Red Bulls. So as matters currently stand, it’s still a rumour, but hardly an outlandish one.
Signing Henry would be a terrific boost at both club and league level. Right now, the Red Bulls have to market their new stadium in a city that is undergoing lean times financially, in a year in which the World Cup in South Africa will be the dominant football event. Even in a healthier economy, pushing MLS in a city that has far more established franchises in baseball, gridiron football, basketball and hockey is no easy task.
Henry’s sublime abilities in the forward line, decently on show during Barcelona’s crucial Champions League victory over Inter, could nonetheless propel MLS to further success off the back of a fine season. Off the field, new franchises are on the way over the next two years in Philadelphia, Portland and Vancouver. On the field, the recent playoffs which culminated in a thrilling MLS Cup Final between LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake showed that there is an engaging quality about the league’s more powerful clubs.
Indeed, watching the play-off contest between Chicago Fire and New England Revolution, I recalled the snipe of one UK commentator to the effect that an MLS game was little better than an average Saturday in League Two, the bottom tier of English football. Assertions like that are based on the lazy, conceited assumption that Americans can’t play “our” football. As anyone who followed the MLS post-season would attest, a side like Salt Lake or Houston could absolutely make the grade in the English Championship.
Henry’s prospective club, the Red Bulls, are not among the best – although MLS watchers will tell you that can change rapidly. The fluidity of this league means that, as yet, there is no “Big Four” equivalent (or should I say “Big Three”?) While 2009 was a proverbial annus horribilis for the Red Bulls, with the club finishing up with the second-worst performance record in MLS history, they can at least remind their critics that they were finalists in the MLS Cup the previous year.
Might they scale the heights again? The enticing prospect of Henry playing upfront with Juan Pablo Angel – assuming the lawyers can sort contracts so that Henry appears alongside, rather than instead of, the Colombian striker – could turn the Red Bulls into the most exciting club in MLS. Like Henry, Angel played for a top flight club, Aston Villa, in the Premier League. He had a particularly good season at Villa in 2003-04, with a final tally of 23 goals; not including European competitions, Henry netted 34 for Arsenal in the same season.
As well as being a prolific scorer, Henry is also, as anyone who remembers his performances with Dennis Bergkamp at Arsenal will testify, a fine partner. And Angel, who has often cut a lonely figure on the pitch since Jozy Altidore’s departure for Europe, could do with a partner.
Yet even if the deadly hypothesis of Henry and Angel becomes a reality, the Red Bulls still need to take a hard look round the back. Last season, Danny Cepero and Bounda Coundoul’s efforts in goal were frequently compromised by a chaotic defence. Here, the Red Bulls can learn much from the efforts of their former coach, Bruce Arena, at the LA Galaxy. Arena knows well that a Beckham or a Donovan can give any team a dangerous edge, but only if they are enabled to do so. In quietly dismantling the culture of awe around Beckham, and in demonstrating that no player is infallible (as Donovan himself underlined when he wildly fired the ball over the crossbar during the MLS Cup penalty shoot-out), Arena established the principles which helped turn the Galaxy’s fortunes around.
That brings me to my final observation about Thierry Henry. A few months ago, I argued in these pages that MLS should not fall into the trap of being driven by a handful of stars approaching the twilight of their careers. The key is player development, the challenge – as MLS Commissioner Don Garber has correctly emphasised – is keeping the many talented players MLS has spawned on this side of the Atlantic. Let’s suppose that Henry comes to MLS fresh from the World Cup; that won’t change the fact that the league will have lost players of the calibre of Chicago’s Chris Rolfe and Salt Lake’s Yura Movsisyan to Danish clubs during the off season. After all, it is out of players like these that a great league is made.
Written by Ben Cohen
great great article, can’t say that enough.
“Indeed, watching the play-off contest between Chicago Fire and New England Revolution, I recalled the snipe of one UK commentator to the effect that an MLS game was little better than an average Saturday in League Two, the bottom tier of English football. Assertions like that are based on the lazy, conceited assumption that Americans can’t play “our” football. As anyone who followed the MLS post-season would attest, a side like Salt Lake or Houston could absolutely make the grade in the English Championship.” One of my favorite parts. Thank you for stating that and respecting the league. Glad to have you aboard.
Thanks again.Hopefully the CBA is solved soon and a higher cap with it so we can retain guys like Rolfe and Movsisyan.
Agreed with Warren – top article and great insight to how Henry, although a top star, isn’t the answer to the MLS problems.
For me the three things that have to change is the salary cap, the draft and the scheduling of the MLS season.
I read somewhere that it’s unlikley Henry will make the move to MLS in the summer, but he’s made sure he’s opened the doors for a move in a few years – have you seen anything about that Ben or are the links stronger than I think?
Warren and Steve, thanks. Agree with you both totally on the cap, the draft and the schedule – what I’d add is that MLS also needs soccer specific stadiums. If each club had one, that would be a big help in resolving the scheduling question.
Steve, I think it’s a reasonable assumption that Henry won’t arrive here when the MLS season begins, because of the World Cup. But I don’t know that he’ll wait a “few years” – if he’s serious about coming here, then 2010-11 would seem to make sense in terms of where his career is, particularly if he has a good World Cup and decides after that to retire from international footie.
While I agree that Henry & Angel would make a awesome attacking force, and he would inhance the league, some of your other ideas are just plain wrong. No MLS team could compete in the English Championship. None. If you want proof, just look at the CONCACAF Champions League – MLS teams are naive tactically and techniquely inferior to even Central American teams. Also, look at the ability of Championship teams in the transfer market. Can MLS compete to buys players if a English team also wanted that player? Of course not. Just saying that makes you look ignorant. The only question is now: should the MLS WANT Henry after the world cup playoff fiasco?
It’s a quandary for me, I look at the other US sports and see how dominant the US is as a nation in those sports. The draft system could work if the game at College level and below was improved and structured correctly. It’s a great system in a way, so players can chase the dream but still end up with a Bachelor’s degree at the end of it regardless. Makes a mockery of our youth systems that take kids in at 14 or younger then the majority are discarded at 17 or 18 with no qualifications and crushing depression.
The issue is with player development, you learn most about technique as a footballer between 9 and 12 according to Ajax, or 12 and 16 for tactics and awareness. How do you incorporate that into a schools program? Do you make it extra-curricular? How is it paid for? Where will you get good coaches from?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Henry leaves Barcelona in the summer, he’s already hinted at doing so and as Ben says he has made no secret of his admiration for NYC and MLS. To see him playing in Harrison next season would be entirely plausible to me.
The salary cap is an issue though, do you think it should just be set at a higher level? I do think that the better MLS teams could survive in the Championship, it’s the cutting edge that’s missing I think. If some of the young US players leave for better leagues but return in their late twenties, can’t be a bad thing in the long term.
as far as the SSS you don’t have to worry about that. 11 of the 16 teams will have them next season with two playing in revenue controlled stadiums (with Qwest field being THE BEST atmosphere in the league although being played in a 60,000+ capacity stadium) and more teams coming in 2011 and 2012 respectively opening in SSS. Any team that doesn’t have one right now is pressing hard to get one and are very close (Houston and Kansas) with the exception of the Krafts who, even them, are trying to look in to getting one.
But yes, over time the SSS will be with every team. To be honest, if you compare the league to just a couple of years ago with all the football stadiums, where we are today is ALOT BETTER then maybe just 3 years ago. We’re moving up really fast.
btw, take a look at the great progress at both Red Bull Arena and the Unions stadiums opening up next year.
http://redbullarena.us/
http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/Content3.aspx?cid=4.3
*Editor’s note – SSS = Soccer Specific Stadiums*
Rio, I’m not aware that Henry’s handball diminished his skills as a player. Not sure quite what point you are making. Equally, I’m not sure I understand why you apparently think a team like Doncaster or Crystal Palace – both from the English Championship – would trump Salt Lake or Columbus Crew.
@Riosoccer – I think it’s unfair to say that an MLS team couldn’t compete with a Championship team. It’s always going to be hard to say exactly where an MLS team will place in England because it’s all theoretical – we’ve had the Rangers/Celtic debate many times now and some people think they’d be top 4, others think they’d be in the relegation zone.
One thing I do think a Championship club does have the advantage over an MLS club in is that they’re in a hierarcy – probably in the best structured league system in the world. A player in a Championship team has the Premier League to aim for. There is promotion, relegation, mass support and lots of history and this may be the deciding factor when players chose to sign.
After only 15 years though and the MLS is starting to turn a few heads – I think 10 years down the line we’ll be talking about MLS teams possibly being able to cut it in the English Premiership (albeit maybe nearer the bottom of the table).