Steve Davis, who's the one man army over at NBC's Pro Soccer Talk, seems to think Thierry Henry's post-game interview, or lack thereof, was the antithesis of professionalism. He writes:
On the other hand, lots of guys in this league can stand in front of a camera or microphone and answer reasonable questions, win or lose. Damn near everyone, in fact. In general, Major League Soccer is stacked full of folks who understand that professional players and coaches remain soccer’s salesmen and ambassadors. They have some responsibility to "sell" the game, to help it grow and continue to flourish, and part of that is dealing amicably with media. In Major League Soccer, that’s just part of the gig, and few people seem to have a problem with it.
But was it?
Now Davis isn't talking about that interview specifically, he was talking about his own experience. And he got snubbed. It's frustrating to get snubbed. Especially when it's by someone who's visibly frustrated and especially when you're a guy linked with a huge TV network that just sank a bunch of money into the league.
To be blunt, a pissed off Henry is better than a complacent Henry. When Henry wants to make something happen he makes something happen. In the home leg of the MLS Cup quarterfinals against the LA Galaxy last season, Henry seemed as if he was creating opportunities through sheer force of will. It ended in a losing effort, but the chances were there and I'll bet Henry finishes more than not. Certainly losing is no excuse to be surly, but Henry was frustrated after a frustrating loss with a team that's been mostly a series of frustrations for the entirety of its existence. Add to that two goals scored on a botched clearance and a boneheaded pass respectively - that second goal should have never happened, Roy Miller - and you get a none-too-happy Henry.
The best kind of salesman Henry can be is the salesman who scored 14 goals in 26 games last season.
If the kind of Henry you see above means more plays like his assist to Kenny Cooper in the dying embers of yesterday's game all the better.