Thierry Henry arrives in New York; what it all means
by Steve Davis on Jul 14, 2010 11:22 AM EDT
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Thierry Henry insists he is not coming to
True dat?
Early indications upon Wednesday's announcement are pretty good. Dan Courtemanche, on top of the totem poll at MLS communications, told me yesterday that Henry essentially said “bring it on” when asked about a full day of media engagements. He’ll start tomorrow on Univision’s national morning show, appearing on set at 6:45 a.m. (Henry speaks Spanish, of course, from his days in
It’s also telling that Henry will be ready, set and in place as the summer transfer window opens. People may have raised a concerned brow, but probably wouldn’t have balked if Henry had asked for a longer break following World Cup.
You can read more about his big-picture impact in the piece I wrote for SI.com.
Here are a couple of things you won’t read in that piece, however. (Click on for those …)
Reports from Courtemanche and others say that Henry “gets it.” Steve Nash has talked up what a quality individual the French star is.
Courtemanche also told me, going a little further back, a story about Youri Djorkaef, the former French international who played two seasons with the Red Bulls from 2004-05. Even back then, Djorkaef was telling anyone who would listen that MLS truly needed to pursue Henry whenever that became possible. He talked about a talented player who also carried himself with charm and charisma. Henry could truly capture the town and soccer supporters’ hearts in a way most individuals cannot, Djorkaef believed.
Let’s hope they are all correct. While no one wants to see a Yankees-type empire, there can be no argument that Major League Soccer’s growth and development will be facilitated by a stronger, more visible franchise in the
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A great signing by Red Bull
Maybe this is just me, but I have a feeling that Henry still has plenty of quality and magic left in him— he’s a player I feel could still start on a good top-flight side. Beckham didn’t give me that feeling, although we still all rate him.
Add the marketing and the mutual desire, and this is going to be pretty good. Also first-time-long-time, so hello!
jtb yl1 thunder up tino
Becks
Beckham didn’t give me that feeling
Didn’t he recently play for AC Milan? There aren’t many more top sides out there. Henry will do well in MLS cause he is used to a MUCH higher standard of play. If he gets decent service he will score just like Angel does.
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by Section 312 on Jul 14, 2010 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't rate Italian football very much
It’s like watching (insert bad thing here), and I don’t doubt Henry at all. He’ll be very good, and he still has the quality to play almost anywhere else in the world.
jtb yl1 thunder up tino
by Allen J. Kha on Jul 15, 2010 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions
I like it, despite being a D.C. United Fan....it's good for the League
I think if the MLS takes a couple of more steps and starts signing some more well-known international players it can really start up some momentum and build up some more worthwhile competition.
ditto
When evaluating these big stars, I first ask myself: Would you rather see him in a United uniform instead of, say, L.A. or N.Y.R.B? For all others except possibly Cuauhtemoc Blanco the answer has been “No.” But for Thierry Henry, I have the feeling “That would have been nice.”
Could be great, IF...
If the officiating allows Henry to have an impact, this could be huge. I’m a lukewarm fan of MLS soccer because it’s simply not as good as other soccer I can watch on tv. Well, that, and my DC United are scuffling something awful. But I’ll make a point of tuning in to watch NYRB now.
Here’s my concern: when I’ve watched Henry play in England and Spain, it seemed as if he was prone to petulance. Not at the level of a Ronaldo, but inclined to get frustrated when things don’t go his way. Refs in MLS have a tendency to allow really physical play, and to make calls that generally match the spotty quality of the soccer. If Henry finds himself manhandled all the time and less able to do what he does well, I worry that he might get frustrated and become a cautionary tale for other stars who might consider coming to the league.
Spot on about MLS officiating. Frankly, I’m surprised that Brian McBride even survived his first stint in MLS the way he was chopped and hacked and fouled with impunity. The next step to take MLS to the next level may in fact not be getting better players, but getting world class officiating and making MLS defenses play futbol instead of (American) football. It would make the games much more entertaining, it would increase scoring, and would allow for athleticism to shine through instead of thuggery.
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by woodsmeister on Jul 15, 2010 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Good point.
The Dutch team would feel right at home with MLS officials ;) Seriously, the refereeing has a strong effect on the aesthetics of the game. I recall the 1999 playoff battle between Columbus and DC which demonstrated this. At Columbus, the referee was, in typical MLS fashion, very lenient on the physical play. The result was an awful, ugly match of hacks and fouls that Columbus won. The following match in DC was officiated (if I recall correctly) by Ricardo Valenzuela, and he kept a tight lid on the physical stuff. The result was that skilled players like Marco Antonio Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno were able to shine and Columbus had no answer for them.
You may argue that this is unfair to physical teams, if you believe that overly-physical play is a legitimate tactic. Fair enough. But physical teams are so largely because they lack skill. If you allow that style to prevail you will penalize skilled teams and the result will be ugly games—which is what we see all too often in MLS. I’m hoping that US Soccer can fix its officiating problem. Soon. (Could this be why they had no-one selected for the WC? Just wondering…)
As someone who rarely goes to MLS games
I might get season tickets at Red Bull just because of Theirry. Legend.
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I like the move for mls
If the mls wants to be a top tier league it has to start like this. First you have to get the older players like Henry then eventually you’ll get someone more in his prime and the league will excell. By the way is there any merit in the Ronaldinho to la galaxy rumors?
by Sawdawg12 on Jul 15, 2010 1:12 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
It's better than playing in Qatar
jtb yl1 thunder up tino
by Allen J. Kha on Jul 15, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
