Thierry Henry Can Carry NY Red Bulls to MLS Cup Glory

New York Red Bulls captain Thierry Henry has saved his best MLS form for what may be his final days with the club.

There are special professional athletes that go above and beyond their peers, individuals that are joys to watch regardless of the team you call your own. The National Football League has quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is an international superstar who also happens to be the best basketball player in the world. New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter was so respected as a player that every Major League Baseball club presented him with gifts during his 2014 retirement tour.

New York Red Bulls captain Thierry Henry is that man for Major League Soccer.

Henry is not, at 37-years old, the player that he was during his prime. He is no longer carving up back lines with long jaunts down the pitch before depositing goals that crush the spirits of opponents. Henry’s speed is far from what it was long ago. There are real reasons to fear that he is but one misstep away from being finished as player.

All of that said, the 2014 Red Bulls will, between now and the end of November, live and die on the play of Henry.

It is amusing, years after the fact, to recall the early days of Henry’s MLS career. The most-talented player to ever feature for a side in the North American top-flight was banged up when he joined the Red Bulls in the summer of 2010, and Henry’s lack of production during his first several months with the club resulted in some fans booing the living legend during games played at Red Bull Arena. It was a dark and stormy April night — literally — in Harrison, New Jersey when Henry scored a goal against the San Jose Earthquakes before screaming something toward the Red Bulls supporters standing in the stadium’s South Ward section.

That night has since served as the true beginning of Henry’s tenure with the club.

Henry has never lived up to what were unrealistic expectations since joining MLS. He has never won the Golden Boot, the award given to the league’s top scorer. Henry has hit the back of the net 49 times in regular season play since 2011. He has never even flirted with being MLS Most Valuable Player.

What Henry has done, however, is evolve into the player the Red Bulls have needed him to be over each of the past two seasons.

Oct 30, 2014; Harrison, NY, USA; New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (99), forward Thierry Henry (14) and midfielder Dax McCarty (11) celebrate their win against the Sporting KC at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls defeated the Sporting KC 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bulls hitman Bradley Wright-Phillips tied the MLS record for most goals scored in a single season (27), and he deserves to win the regular season MVP award for his production. It is Henry and not BWP who has been New York’s key man during this vital stretch of games, and he is doing so without scoring. Henry hasn’t notched a goal since early October.

He is more interested in creating opportunities for teammates these days.

The Red Bulls have been in win-or-go-home mode since hosting defending MLS champions Sporting Kansas City on the night of October 30. Henry has accumulated four assists in three playoff contests, his latest being one that helped New York make history.

Henry showed that he still has a bit of juice left in the ol’ afterburners early into the second half of this past Sunday’s New York at DC United playoff showdown. The veteran sped past his marker down the left wing before dropping a cross on a dime for teammate Peguy Luyindula. Luyindula made no mistake in tapping the ball in for a massive away goal that helped propel the Red Bulls past No. 1 playoff seed DC.

It’s the only time the Red Bulls have gotten the best of United in postseason play, something that wasn’t lost on the team’s captain following the game. “This one goes to the fans because I’m sure they had enough of losing against DC,” Henry told reporters following New York defeating United 3-2 on aggregate goals. “On a personal point of view, and I’m sure the same with (the fans), we haven’t done anything yet. You want to go all the way.”

Some would say that it took too long to get to this point, but there is no longer any doubt about the fact that Henry “gets it” as it pertains to what the Red Bulls mean to diehard fans of the club. It is Henry who resurrected the colors of the old Metrostars via his captain’s armband. It was Henry who buried the highlight-reel goal against Chicago Fire last October, a tally that set into motion the events that resulted in the Red Bulls winning the Supporters’ Shield (MLS regular season award) and ending the team’s long trophy drought. Henry, who has done it all during his illustrious career, wants to hoist MLS Cup while wearing a RBNY kit.

Look at his reaction from this past Sunday if you have any concerns about Henry potentially not being all-in on the Red Bulls winning a title this fall.

Henry has seen it all and done it all in the sport, and the experience and wisdom he brings to the rest of the players on the Red Bulls is invaluable. What he offers to teammates during practice sessions and prep-time cannot be oversold, but it is Henry’s in-game contributions that are carrying the Red Bulls toward a franchise first; a MLS Cup victory that would cement Henry as the greatest player in the history of the club.

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