Thierry Henry will miss the New York Red Bulls' high-profile game against the Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham on Friday night because of a sprained right knee.
The Red Bulls said Tuesday that the French forward had sprained the medial collateral ligament in the knee during a Sept. 4 loss at Real Salt Lake. He played with the injury last week and incurred a $2,000 fine for a celebratory kick following teammate Mehdi Ballouchy's goal, a kick that sent the ball into Kevin Hartman and injured the Dallas goalkeeper's knee.
''We spoke to Thierry Monday and we decided that it was the best course of action for his health and for our club to rest him this week,'' Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler said. ''Despite the attention surrounding this Friday's match, we did not want to exacerbate Thierry's current injury that he has been playing and practicing with over the past two weeks. We want to ensure that he is healthy for our final matches as we hope to qualify for the playoffs and make a run towards the MLS Cup.''
Friday's game at Carson, Calif., includes some of Major League Soccer's top players, including Landon Donovan of the Galaxy, and Juan Pablo Angel and Rafael Marquez of the Red Bulls.
