Now that France's World Cup hopes and dreams have been shattered, it is time to discuss Thierry Henry and what kind of impact he'll have on the Red Bulls and the MLS. He's a World Class soccer player with experience playing in both Premiere League and La Liga and has played for the French National Team since 1997.
The MLS is an extremely physical league, just like the English Premiere league. Dives aren't called like in La Liga or Seria A. This is a big concern for me. Henry doesn't have a reputation of diving like Cristiano Ronaldo, but he still has played in leagues that reward such play and he has dramaticized to get penalty calls which is a real concern. Will Thierry be able to adjust from La Liga to the MLS style of play?
The MLS also plays with the controversial Adidas Jabulani. This ball was the bane of every world class player in the group stages of the World Cup. It has caused goal keepers trouble with the way the ball moves in the air and has caused amazing strikers to shoot the ball miles above the goal. I don't put any credence into this though. Am I to believe that the weak MLS players can figure out the ball and not have any trouble scoring and the MLS keepers can figure out the flight path while the BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD can't? My concern with Henry coming in is that he's going to complain about the ball. Will he consistently be able to find the back of the net or will he echo the sentiments of Lionel Messi and Robinho who both criticized the ball's flight path and challenge it presents to strikers?
And finally, will Hans Backe be able to provide Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry enough shots on goal? JPA has nine goals on the season and is finally hitting hist stride as a striker while TH14 had his weakest year since playing for Juventus in 1999. Will he be able to find a second life in the MLS and become the striker he once was?