Thierry Henry and the Red Bulls are championshipless, a fact they are reminded of on a nearly daily basis it seems. But the French star wants everyone to know that it’s not easy taking home MLS Cup, especially compared to picking up silverware in Europe.
“It’s harder. Way harder,” he told SI’s Grant Wahl in a magazine piece in this week’s issue. "[In Europe] I didn’t have to tell [ex-Arsenal and France teammates] Robert Pires or Patrick Viera what to do, so I was concentrating on what I had to do. I’m not having a go at anyone; I’m just saying that it’s easier to have guys who know exactly what it takes.”
(Which, frankly, sounds exactly like he’s having a go at everyone on his team, but anyway.)
Henry isn’t wrong, mostly due to the parity and the playoffs, two things that make MLS unique and special and fun when compared to the rest of the top-heavy leagues around the world. That said, the Red Bulls are well-funded and packed with some of the best talent in MLS. They should have done better in the playoffs, and Henry sounds like he knows. This is New York, baby; championships are expected.
The forward sounds increasingly frustrated. He went off when Kenny Cooper was shipped out and continued along the same theme when he talked to MLS Soccer’s Nick Firchau:
Don’t get me wrong: An angry, outspoken Henry is a fun Henry for the fans, as long as he can transform that frustration into production. But if the Red Bulls season starts to go sideways -- you know, if they blow any two-goal leads and what not -- it’s going to be interesting to watch the mercurial Frenchman respond. That locker room could get mighty small in a hurry.
