Henry didn’t disappoint. He flashed his trademark skills effortlessly and impressed the more than 20,000 who came out to see his debut. Every touch was perfect and every pass was accurate, showing us all a glimpse of the greatness that we have grown accustomed to from the Frenchman.
As much as his 45-minute performance was an encouraging individual debut, Henry’s presence clearly inspired his Red Bulls teammates to step up their games. Yes, the team still missed a bunch of clear chances, but it could be argued that for the first half, with Henry on the field, the Red Bulls stood toe-to-toe with a Tottenham squad that was still strong despite scores of absences by World Cup participants.
Henry makes things easy for his teammates, whether by making well-timed runs or by dropping into midfield to receive passes and circulate the ball to teammates in good positions. It’s easy to forget amid all his goal scoring that Henry is very creative player who can set up goals as easily as score them.
If there was an underlying thought that lingered during Henry’s impressive display it was the thought of him playing alongside Red Bulls scoring leader Juan Pablo Angel, who missed Thursday’s match with an ankle sprain.
With Henry, Angel and the likely acquisition of Mexican star Rafael Marquez, the Red Bulls will be considered one of the favorites to win MLS Cup this year, especially if Thursday’s match was any indication of how smooth a transition Henry will make to MLS.
As Henry was quick to point out, just how far the Red Bulls get will depend as much on how his teammates play around him, and for 45 minutes on Thursday the Red Bulls appeared to work well with their new superstar. Joel Lindpere played a particularly inspired match, creating several chances for teammates and providing some evidence that he is capable of being the playmaker the team needs.
Henry appears to already be having a good time with his new team, as evidenced by his easy interaction with teammates he just met a week ago.
“He’s humble. He’s down to earth,” said Red Bulls defender Carlos Mendes of Henry. “In just the couple of days he’s been here you see how he already talks to the guys, interacts with the guys.”
First things first ... Henry must work his way back into shape, with Sunday’s match against Manchester City serving as the next chance for him to get prepared for his likely MLS debut on July 31st against the Houston Dynamo. That’s when the real work will begin and Henry will take his first steps toward trying to lead the Red Bulls to their first league title in team history.
Friendlies against European teams in preseason is one thing. The physical battles of the fall in MLS are something else entirely, as many foreign stars have learned before upon arriving in MLS.
If his debut on Thursday is any indication, Henry could be everything the Red Bulls were hoping he would be. He sure looked the part for 45 minutes on Thursday, giving his new team and new fans reason to look forward to many more Henry train rides to Red Bull Arena and many more goals for Major League Soccer's newest star.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the U.S. national team and Major League Soccer.
