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Henry set to sign with Red Bulls

Thierry Henry 1 (Getty Images) 

Barcelona foward Thierry Henry looks to finally be headed to MLS, and the team he appears set to join should come as no surprise.

Henry, who has fallen out of favor at Barcelona, has agreed to a pre-contract deal with the New York Red Bulls for as long as three weeks now, according to SI.com. The French international will join the Red Bulls after the World Cup pending some compensation from New York, as Henry still has one more year under contract with the Spanish champions.

If all of the wrinkles are ironed out and Henry does finally make his move to MLS, he would join forward Juan Pablo Angel to form arguably the most talented pair of strikers in the league.

What do you think of Henry joining the Red Bulls? Think he and Angel are going to rip defenses apart? Are Red Bulls the favorite to lift the MLS Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. MAY be the best strike partnership, Ives?!?

    Who the hell would even come close to this pair? I am not saying they would win the cup, but they will be atop the league in goals scored.

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  2. Ubi and Stammler are both upgrades over Richards. And Albright is looking pretty healthy to me in Open Cup play, so if he can take over at right back, right mid could be Hall’s.

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  3. It’s not even just that Richards is dumb. He’s dumb and unskilled. He can do one thing and that is run very fast. But, controlling, passing, shooting, crossing? Forget it.

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  4. Uh… have you ever watched Thierry Henry play soccer? He ain’t exactly a slouch of a playmaker. Don’t be distracted by the fact that he also happens to score a lot of goals.

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  5. Why is everybody linking Ze Roberto as the next player NYRB should get? Has he shown interest?

    Henry is a MASSIVE signing for MLS. Next targets? The reliable strike rate in Raul? The creative attacking midfielder in Deco (whose contract ends june 2011)? But I think if MLS really wanted their ideal DP, they will aggressively go after Ronaldinho whose contract also ends June 2011. The man can easily capture the media with what is sure to be many highlight reels not to mention he get so many fans in seats (not to mention the many Brazilians here in the US)

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  6. If he doesn’t draw a sellout in every game he plays in the MLS for the next two seasons, I’d be very surprised.

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  7. There a couple of reasons why I believe signing Henry will lead to at least half their remaining games to be sold out.

    #1- His recognizable talent including 26 goals just the prior season with no injury since then
    #2- His presence will finally force the NY papers to provide some decent coverage both the day of the game and afterwards with an actual writer on the paper to write regular stories the day after with even a photo (not websites which get far less traffic) and even the networks (not FoxSports Channel) to at least mention the MLS and the Red Bulls which alone will drive up numbers since so many people would go if they were aware there was a game going on that weekend.

    I could be wrong, but I think not. Nonetheless, I will enjoy seeing a great game in a great stadium and hopefully the Red Bulls going deep into the MLS playoffs if not the cup and next year in the Champions League as well.

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  8. You are obviouisly not paying attention. They are averaging almost 18,000 per game not including Santos. They would have had over 19K against Seattle were it not for the package issue on the PATH.

    That is more than most teams in the league. I think only 3 teams are averaging more and only 2 have more season tickets pre-Henry.

    Nonetheless, what is important is the game and going there has been great. If you are having trouble enjoying the game because you are busy counting people in the stands, I feel sorry for you because you are missing out.

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  9. I’m a big Angel fan, but even I have to admit that he has lost a step or two. Also his first touch is nowhere near what it used to be.

    Trying to look on the bright side, maybe Angel is injured and no one is saying.

    I also cannot see any reason for Richards to be starting – maybe his role should be as a late sub – when everyone else is to tired to out think him.

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  10. Oh Thierry, first you leave my Arsenal, now you join the NYRB instead of the Sounders…just great. Should be an outstanding pick up. I’d take a 32 year old Henry.

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  11. I’ve got a couple of thoughts.

    1. Fantastic signing for MLS. Recognizable name, still got game–a real talent. I just hope he doesn’t end up signing for 4-5 years….some amount where he may be a shred of his former self by the time the contract ends.

    2. Not so sure if it’s a great signing for NYRB. Maybe. I think the emergence of Lindpere might make it a brilliant signing for the team. But I’ve never really thought that, as glamourous as another top-notch striker signing was, that NYRB really needed that. As a team, I would have thought other areas might be bigger priorities if you’re looking to win an MLS Cup or be a serious contender. After all, Backe talks about how the team plays on the edge and has moments where the play is inconsistent or dangerous–that sound more like a strong presence in defense or more midfield strength might benefit the team more. That said, don’t interpret my comments as sour grapes–only that while signing Henry is a glamourous signing that benefits the league (and probably sells tickets for the team), I’m not sure if that would have been the top priority for the side in terms of competitive strength. But we’ll see.

    3. I wonder what the team’s cap situation is? I’m assuming that there is enough room (or enough allocation money to buy down the cap hit) so no-one has to be cut or traded to make room for him.

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