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Henry likely to debut against Tottenham, Red Bulls close to adding third DP

Thierry Henry (ISIphotos.com)

Photo by ISIphotos.com

 

BY MIKE NASTRI

French star Thierry Henry is set to be introduced by the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Thursday July 15th at 1:15pm, and while the club still isn't naming him due to unsigned contracts, Henry's first match should be against Tottenham on Thursday, July 22nd.

Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler would still not refer to Henry by name when he spoke to the media before Saturday's Red Bulls-D.C. United match because the contract has not been officially signed. Soler told the media that "most of it" has been signed but "not all of it".

Soler revealed that the Tottenham match could be Henry's debut. He was also adamant that Henry would not play in the MLS match two days later against the Crew in Columbus.

"We want the player to be able to fit in and have some training sessions. We don't want to throw him out in an away game against Columbus totally unprepared. That would be unfair to him and unfair to the team. And I think it's better to wait and get him into the squad."

However, the real news came with Soler telling the media a 3rd DP could join the team soon after Henry.

"There's one player coming first, but I said before the World Cup that I think it's going to be two."

The negotiations are going along well with this mysterious 3rd DP. 

"I think it's more than a 50-50 chance. We have gone far into the negotiations. We are more or less ready to sign."

There isn't a ton known about the identity of this additional DP. But, he is a midfielder and Soler said he can "play various positions." Soler also added that the player is still in a contract with his current team. Therefore he will have to negotiate out of his current deal to play with the Red Bulls, just as Henry did about a month ago.

This midfielder could join Henry very soon after the former Arsenal star is introduced in New York. The Red Bulls are hoping this third DP could even make his NYRB debut agains Tottenham.

"We hope the first one will play against Tottenham, I'm quite sure of that," Soler said. "The second one I wouldn't rule it out but I'm not for sure yet."

Soler had "no comments" on various other inquiries on the identity of this midfielder from whether he has played with Henry before or if he has ever played under Hans Backe.

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What do you think of the Henry debuting against Tottenham? Who could this midfielder be? Think that's the position NYRB needed to fill? Shocked at how quickly the 3rd DP would join the team?

Comments

  1. Not only is Henry not ready to play in 2 days, but if I were the RB I would never do anything to give the crew (or the revs) a sell-out, except if it was playoff game. Let their fans be disappointed.

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  2. Wait, I’m confused…didn’t the French born Henry (who is spurning this conversation) just recently play for the “homegrown” Barcalona?

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  3. I am yet to determine whether NFL should be renamed to throw-ball or handball…or just 3 and a half hours of commercials and 11 minutes of playing time…ugh…

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  4. It appears we may be a lot closer to a serious league than many may want to admit.

    Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United stated, “American soccer is starting to make an impact and it is so improved, ” he said. He also indicated, “Sir Alex Ferguson believes football is finally beginning to take hold in the United States.”

    I think we are a lot closer than we believe. We still have a lot of room to grow, sure. But we’re not some joke of a league, like once before.

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  5. i haven’t read all of what you’re responding to but to point out something. If people want homegrown that would mean American born and American born is not a race so it wouldn’t be racism. It would be nationalism.

    I can say people want “homegrown” players because they can play for the u.s national team and that’s mostly the only thing americans care about. And bringing in old vets doesn’t help them.

    by the way i am a person of color and an american and the product of the Alabama civil rights movement and a flaming Obama supporting liberal. I know racism. I’m quite sure the issue isn’t race its player development.

    now if you want to really talk about racism in american soccer, i suggest you make a post on why U.S. soccer does nothing more then hold occasional clinics in majority black neighborhoods and innercity, doesn’t build fields or 5 a side pitches in them, and generally has a system set up to develop white, upperclass, and uppermiddle class, wealthy youth by way of a pay to play traveling club system that has the effect, racial or not (it possibly isn’t) of excluding large swaths of black and brown and white lower income players.

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  6. Even if MLS could offer similar money to the European clubs, it would still take a long time before Europe’s best players start coming here. Why would they forgo playing in the UEFA Champions league for an opportunity to play in the CONCACAF Champions league against the likes of Metapan or Toluca?

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  7. See message above by Happy Camper. Your post is total non-sense. And you maybe a closeted racist. Almost a billion people watched the World Cup final today. Football is an INTERNATIONAL sport. If you only feel comfortable watching and following US-Born athletes, then stick to the NFL-Only by all means.

    HC.

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  8. I wonder if RACISM is the real reason behind the “home-grown” mantra of many messages below. As if football was beer and you can go to the garage and develop your home-grown brew anytime you pleased. If you only want to watch home-grown talent, then go to your local park to watch elementary school games. Otherwise, please STOP it!
    Professional football should welcome talent regardless of the nationality.
    Henry and Marquez will make the Bulls better.
    The Bulls, in turn, will make the MLS better and by the definition the so called home-grown talent will improve.
    If you want an ALL-US born league, then stick to the NFL. Not even the NBA nor the MLB have it.
    Finally, if you watched the World Cup, you would had noticed that the plead was to stop RACISM.

    HC

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  9. LOL this is Union’s first season.. HAHAH home grown is not a thing for union… everyone is new… and true fans? you cant be a true fan of a team that is barely a year old. Being a true fan is not something that comes all of a sudden… pfft philthy fans, they just dont get it

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  10. successful front offices? the phillies have been around since the 1880’s and they only have TWO world series championships…..lmao @ the stupidity if that comment….

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  11. Wow things are getting crazy in the Red Bulls camp. Just bringing in Henry is a huge boost for the team, now if they are to bring in a player like Ronaldinho or Seedorf, you would deffently be seeing the team in the Final with the Galaxy. I deffently dont see Ljundberg leaving Seatle unless they got a DP in the deal. I am deffently supper exctied for the rest of the season, and am deffently getting tickets to the Red Bulls v Man City game.

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  12. Can’t be Deco he’s going to Brazil. I heard Ronaldinho is gonna re-sign with Milan. Riquelme is without a club, so it can’t be him (Soler says that he’s in contract).

    Seedorf would be a good pickup. I like Adu, but I wouldn’t DP him. If we don’t DP him to bring him in, we won’t get him because he would have to come through the allocation lottery or whatever.

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  13. Multiple positions, midfield, and still under contract…..ljungberg and Marquez are the consensus thought, but it seems as if it’s some one abroad so i don’t know about Freddy. Marquez on the other hand can play midfielder, but is a defender by trade so I don’t think it’s him personally. Those 2 players are ofcourse possible, but here are some other possibilities……adu, ronaldinho, riquelme, deco, seedorf, nery Castillo and elano. They all fit the description…

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  14. Patrick Vieira or Seedorf seem more likely. Marquez still starts for Barcelona, I just don’t see it happening.

    I’m still hoping that some MLS club will rescue Nery Castillo from the Ukraine.

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  15. The Mexican Beckham would help RBNY a lot as well.

    I think the MLS would be taken more seriously elsewhere if they took the academy system to the next level.

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  16. Henry was out of favor at Barcelona for the same reason he was out of favor at Arsenal. He doesn’t sprint like he used to. When Wenger sold Henry to Barcelona, the majority of their fans protested it, because he was so important – but Wenger knew that he couldn’t make those darting runs from deep anymore. When Barcelona signed him it was almost a celebrity signing, in that Barcelona needed a wide left midfield player to fill the hole party-boy Ronaldinho left. At the beginning of 07/08 Henry was met with huge reception because the fans knew that he was well behaved, and well liked on the team. There were a few players competing for the wide position, but Henry won his spot because of his class. It wasn’t the best season for him, but the following season he showed how good a player he is. But by the 09/10 season, Guardiola had really started pushing the youth through, and they were simply faster than Henry. They are able to keep up the high paced pass and move style that Barcelona demands out of their players. If Backe can manage to create some sort of tactic that allows Henry to get the ball facing goal just outside the 18 yard box the goals will come. He is simply too naturally talented as a player.

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  17. As a Real Madrid fan, you can’t compare Throwball franchises or Basketball franchises. with a team like Barca. To start off, they grow their players to fit their system of play and they are owned by their people. Its a “club” with members.

    Nobody cares about the Throwball teams outside of the US. Barcelona is cared for by many.

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  18. Agreed. Henry is still an incredible player, and will hopefully inspire and raise the level of play for NY and the MLS as a whole. I think this is a great move and am really looking forward to seeing him on the field for NY.

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  19. The cap hit is only 50% since they are joining on/after the 15th. Next season could be interesting so expect a couple of moves in the off season. In addition I’m pretty sure the Red Bulls do have some allocation money handy

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  20. shut up, your so ignorant, barca shits on no one, philies and stellers fans are just as passionate and have just as sucessfull front offices as barcalona, theres no comparison made here, yes barca is a wonderful soccer franchise, but the steelers are just as wonderful as a franchise in the most important sport in america

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  21. Wow…if this 3rd DP is Rafa Marquez, the Red Bulls will officially become my most hated team, and I will be in LA on September 24th to boo that Mexican c*cksucker. I hate that guy!

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  22. +1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000..lol

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  23. Has to be Freddy Adu. Americans know of him and he plays many positions: central mid, left side benchwarmer, middle benchwarmer, and right side benchwarmer

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  24. For the “hardcore” fans who would rather see homegrown talent than slightly past their prime superstars like Henry and Beckham, one question:

    Who do you think the homegrown talent would rather play with, a few more homegrown players or a few players that have been true world class players?

    One more question:

    Who will help the homegrown talent raise their game more?

    Not every MLS player will get the chance to play abroad, but having a few of the top players from abroad play here can give the boys at home a taste of what the yanks abroad experience.

    This is unequivocally good for the league, especially when down under the salary structure the league has in place to avoid an NASL like implosion.

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  25. Only 3-4 leagues in the world are serious leagues? Even in England, Germany, Spain, and Italy, the vast majority of clubs are not playing in the top level. These clubs aren’t playing in serious leagues?

    Also, what is wrong with having a few players in their 30s? The only leagues leagues I can think of that are stocked exclusively with players in their 20s are US minor league sports. Is that what MLS should aspire to?

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