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What's Next for Thierry Henry and the New York Red Bulls? |
MLS News | |||||
Monday, 01 December 2014 13:33 | |||||
Thierry Henry has announced that he's leaving the New York Red Bulls, per the team's official website. This news comes just days after he was eliminated from the MLS playoffs by the New England Revolution and brings up questions about the Frenchman's next endeavor and the club's future. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recently stated that he'd like to bring back Henry as a coach, via ESPN FC. The 37-year-old forward has also stated that he'd like to see the Gunners win the Champions League as a member of Wenger's staff, per Chris Waugh of the Daily Mail. However, there have also been rumblings of Henry playing in France. Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol said he'd love to sign his former France teammate (h/t Robin Bairner of Goal.com). There's also the possibility of Henry going back to Monaco, the club where he began his professional career. Even PSG was linked with the ex-Arsenal man along with the team from the principality, per Jack De Menezes of The Independent. What's certain is that Henry will make a decision fairly soon. He posted a statement on his Facebook page shortly after it was announced that the French legend was leaving the Red Bulls. He claimed that he will "take the next few weeks to reflect and decide on the next chapter of [his] career." This opens the possibility of Henry joining a new team during the January transfer window as a player or a coach.
What lies ahead for the Red Bulls without Henry? Henry is clearly the main focus of this story, which is fair, but this leaves the Red Bulls in a fairly peculiar situation. New York still has MLS Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips, who scored 27 goals this year (tying Roy Lassiter and Chris Wondolowski for the most in a single season). Henry assisted 10 of Wright-Phillips' 27 regular-season goals, but by that logic, the Englishman's finishing ability could have boosted the Frenchman's numbers. On the other hand, it is Thierry Henry feeding him the ball. Tim Cahill is the other Red Bulls designated player, but he was average in 2014. Even the Australian doesn't know what lies ahead for him, per Empire of Soccer. New York will have at least one designated player spot. It should be used on an attacking midfielder who can supply some assists for Wright-Phillips. A creative No. 10 similar to Diego Valeri or Pedro Morales could also help out head coach Mike Petke. However, Peguy Luyindula has earned a starting spot with his performances in the playoffs.
Did the Red Bulls meet expectations with Henry? When New York signed Henry in 2010, there was a clear plan to succeed. General manager Erik Soler said as much during the forward's introductory press conference, via The Associated Press (h/t Fox Sports). "Thierry is not only a world class player who will undoubtedly improve our squad, but he has shown most importantly throughout his career that he is a winner," said Soler. "He has made it clear to us that he is committed in the short and long term to help in our vision of making our organization the premium franchise in Major League Soccer." Former midfielder Seth Stammler was pretty optimistic as well. "[Henry has] won championships at all levels. To come over here and not prove himself to the world in soccer, but take our team to the next level and hopefully get a championship here will be a good step for him and obviously great for the organization." The Red Bulls were just eliminated from the Eastern Conference championship, which was the deepest they've ever been in the playoffs. Henry was with New York for the past four and a half years, and it's never even appeared in an MLS Cup final, let alone winning the title in that time. New York won the Supporters' Shield in 2013, which is a massive accomplishment, but it means little in the MLS landscape because of the playoff format. Henry was usually less effective in the postseason. The 37-year-old had just one goal and two helpers in the previous four campaigns combined. He was much better in 2014, recording five assists. Chronic defensive issues and the attack going dry take more of the blame than the captain, though. New York has been a playoff team with Henry. There's no shame in that, but if winning championships and becoming the marquee side in MLS were the ultimate goals, then the Red Bulls failed to meet expectations. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com Source: Click Here
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