Thierry Henry to the New York Red Bulls

The Red Bulls now boast the most dangerous scoring duo in all of Major League Soccer.

In what had to be the worst kept secret of the season, the Red Bulls announced Wednesday that they had signed French international forward Thierry Henry to a multi-year contract as their second designated player.

Henry, who recently competed for France at the World Cup in South Africa, will team with Red Bulls captain Juan Pablo Angel, whose nine goals is good for second in the league to L.A. Galaxy forward Edson Buddle. Angel is the team's first designated player.

The second-place Red Bulls (8-5-2, 26 points), who trail the Columbus Crew (8-2-4, 28) in the Eastern Conference, are still searching for a creative playmaking midfielder who can get the ball to the forwards.

Henry, who turns 33 on Aug. 17, is a member of the 1998 World Cup championship team, European Championship and UEFA Champions League winner. He awaiting his International Transfer Certificate when the summer international transfer window opens Thursday.

He will be introduced at a press conference at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. at 1:15 p.m. Thursday.

Henry is expected to debut for the Red Bulls against Tottenham (England) at the Barclays New York Challenge at Red Bull Arena July 22.

Like it or not, Henry most recently is best known for a handball that he was not called for during a World Cup qualifying playoff match against Ireland. The play led to France's lone goal in a 1-1 tie, clinching a spot in the World Cup. The French team played horribly in South Africa, incurring many internal problems, which included a players strike over practicing one day. The French finished at 0-2-1, scoring but once.

Henry was relegated to the bench, playing only 53 minutes over two matches as a substitute.

Still, the Red Bulls have welcomed Henry with open arms.

"I think it means everything for the industry in this country," Angel said. "He's arguably one of the best players in our generation. He's a player that has won everything he could possibly win in this sport and he's still fit.

"It's an honor to have him here. He's going to be a tremendous addition to the league, to the Red Bulls. It keeps showing how much effort this company is putting in for this sport in the country. Hopefully, he'll feel very welcome everywhere he goes as the majority of players with a good name and good reputation that have come here have been feeling. . . I'm sure he'll be happy to be here and will be a phenomenal addition for this league."

Dietmar Beiersdorfer, head of Red Bull Global Soccer, said in a statement that "It is without question that Thierry Henry is one of the most successful and recognizable soccer names in the past 15 years. We are thrilled that Thierry has decided to come to New York to help the Red Bulls compete for championships this year and for years to come. His international pedigree is second to none and he is a proven winner."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2010/07/14/2010-07-14_new_york_red_bulls_sign_french_striker_thierry_henry_from_barcelona.html

Hopefully he still has some gas in the tank. Too bad the NYC media is going to be nothing but Steinbrenner for the next two weeks.

Henry is only 32, enjoy him while he's still got something left in the tank.

Typical MLS, can't get the big guys until the end of their careers

NJBeatdown86 wrote:

Typical MLS, can't get the big guys until the end of their careers

I feel for you, but unfortunately the MLS isn't respected across Europe, alot of the top managers call it a Mickey Mouse league, that's harsh and ignorant but it won't change

The best players will always be in Europe. More money, better competition/teammates and you'll be playing in countries where people actually enjoy and respect your craft. There is still such a hostile reaction to soccer in parts of the U.S, i've heard people still refer to it as a "fag sport". Apparently real men bend over in tight pants (not slagging football, i'm a Jets season ticket holder). People tell me that it's not "an American sport", this despite that fact that America's sport is dominated by guys from the D.R and P.R.

I usually watch the various Euro leagues over MLS, one of my coaches as a kid was an Arsenal benchwarmer, so i've always been a fan.

There is always going to be alot of hate. I played soccer, football, and basketball all the way through high school. Soccer was by far my best sport and I played that in college as well ( Division III). I'm the first to admit that it isn't the greatest spectator sport, especially if you didn't spend a decent amount of time playing it as a kid.

There is the premiership, la liga, serie a, bundesliga, then a few leagues just below that. MLS isn't a bad league, but it can't compete with the top leagues. Maybe 10 years down the road with incremental growth it will get to the point that it can compete. But for that to happen, teams will have to be averaging 24,000-25,000 in attendance instead of the 16,000-17,000 that teams will draw on average this year.

Soccer will never be the top sport in the US, but with ESPN showing premiership, la liga, and MLS games, it can continue to grow little by little.

He's still good enough to destroy teams. He'll do excellent in the U.S. Enjoy his talents.

Hopefully I can go to the Tottenham game, I haven't gotten a chance to see the Red Bulls new stadium (they'll always be the MetroStars to me)

He'll always be my hero for his Arsenal days.

I'm a Liverpool fan and i'm still haunted by some of the beatings he gave us.