Cahill, Henry Expected for Saturday, Wright-Phillips, Carney Visas on the Way

Last week's lack of star power in the Red Bulls starting XI doesn't look to be a permanent thing.

Brian Lewis over at the New York Post reports that Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill should be available for this weekend's game against the Philadelphia Union.

The Post has Head Coach Mike Petke saying both were "100 percent."

As for Bradley Wright-Phillips and David Carney, the two are in the "final stages of getting their P-1 Visas."

If the timing seems weird -- Carney signed less than a week ago, Wright-Phillips signed three weeks ago -- we can hazard a guess. Much like fan favorite Luke Rodgers, Wright-Phillips had trouble with the law in the past.

In March 2008, he, then 23-years-old, and teammate Nathan Dyer were accused of stealing cell phones and bank cards out of the staff room at a bar. Dyer plead guilty, but Wright-Phillips got the charges thrown out, with the judge ruling there was insufficient evidence to bring the charges in front of a jury. He was also accused of assaulting a fan a year later, but (according to Wikipedia) the police decided not the press charges.

As far as we know, Carney has had no run-ins with the man. Not even in Uzbekistan.

If Wright-Phillips' situation sounds harsh, Rodgers had trouble renewing his visa because he overstayed it by a few days.

If the theory is true that Wright-Phillip's last alleged indiscretions lead to his visa delay, it's another instance of the State Department saving us from the real terrorists: English strikers.

Who knew?