Team captain. Veteran commander. Designated played. Major League Soccer’s current goal scoring King. Team assist leader.
What didn’t the New York Red Bulls lose when Thierry Henry went down?
As many of you already know, Henry collapsed to the ground like an accordion during the first half of this weekend’s dramatic 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution. Expecting a pass from Mehdi Ballouchy that never came, Henry was forced to pull up and adjust his run. From what it looked like, his mind thought one thing while his body did another. Before you knew it, he was being helped off of the pitch a hobbled mess, clutching his hamstring in pain.
Henry is just the latest in a string of injuries for the Red Bulls that includes Wilman Conde, Teemu Tainio, Roy Miller, Juan Agudelo, Jan Gunnar Solli and Jose Angulo. Add Rafa Marquez’s suspension to the mix, and you get the definition of depletion.
These injuries have all been daunting but Henry surely takes the cake. The team will now face a up to a month with up to five starters out of the lineup. Can New York survive without Henry? Were they doomed before he went down?
That is your poll question of the week. Have a vote and your take below.
I said it before: no Henry no chance.
I can only guess where you voted lol
They’ll have a tough time against Los Angeles this week, for sure. Beyond that, I think they can stay afloat. They’re fortunate to be playing sort of lower tier teams for the period Henry is expected to be out. It’ll be interesting to see how Cooper looks without his running mate. Last week, when Henry went out, the attack just kind of faded and they really looked toothless for long stretches during the final what, 60-65 minutes. New England couldn’t take advantage because they’re New England, but it’s concerning going forward. Henry is probably the best player in MLS, and he brings so much to the table it’s hard to replace. He’s their leading scorer, but also leads the team (and is near the top of the league) in assists, shots, shots on goal. He can still unlock a defense as well as anyone in MLS, and they’ll struggle without his vision and creativity.
Again, lucky to have a somewhat soft schedule. If he’s back on time they’ll have plenty of time to make up any lost ground. Getting a lot of reinforcements back the next few weeks, or so we’re told. I suspect part of the reason they struggled after he got hurt last week was just the fact that they weren’t prepared to play without him. A week to adjust will help. Still don’t expect a lot going cross country to LA, but I would be surprised if they just collapsed in the following 3-4 games.