Three quick points on Henry, Ronaldinho and MLS signings

Thierry Henry is training with the Red Bulls, set to debut Thursday against his old rivals from Tottenham.

Meanwhile, the Red Bulls are still kicking tires on a third DP. (Like a song that gets stuck in your head, the Rafa Marquez rumor just won’t quit.) And is it possible that Henry’s signing will be trumped already? No way, right? I mean, you’d have to land Ronaldinho himself or someone on that level to bypass Henry in combined quality factor and "wow" factor.

Well, there you go … because Los Angeles may be close to playing the Ronaldinho card. And that’s a damn fine card.

Here are three quick thoughts on what all this sudden and substantial influx of star power means.

– You can make a compelling argument that Thierry Henry is the best player ever to wear an MLS jersey. 

 David Beckham kicked up a bigger ruckus, for sure; but if we’re talking quality and career accomplishment, Henry swats Beckham’s junk into the fourth row. Beckham was still a good player when he arrived in 2007. But considering his position (midfield) and his age relative to the position, Beckham’s ability to consistently impact games, while substantial, simply can’t compare to a striker / winger who still has a lot of juice in his game.

– Ronaldinho would be another major coup. Like Henry, he’s not the badass he was just two or three years ago. But also like Henry, he still has plenty to offer. Short of acquiring the starlets of South Africa 2010 (Xavi, Iniesta, Forlan, Sneijder, etc.) which ain’t gonna happen, these guys are AAA-rated prizes for MLS. When you combine Henry and (potentially) Ronaldinho with more "practical" mid-summer signings (Seattle’s Blaise Nkufo, for instance) MLS has achieved a useful and impressive balance here.

– Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer says "Designated Player" is a silly name. I have long agreed.  It sounds so generic and afterthought-ish. So, what to call these guys?

My first thought was Salary Deferred Talent. But then I realized everyone would naturally shorten it to SDT, which is perilously close to STD, and who wants that association? So I’m clearly the one to come up with a new moniker. Thoughts?