Shorthanded doesn’t begin to describe the Red Bulls’ status for Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash at Seattle (9 p.m., ESPN), their most important game of the year. They will be without Thierry Henry, Jamison Olave and Bradley Wright-Phillips for a nationally televised tilt that could decide the Supporters Shield.
The Red Bulls (15-9-6) lead the overall MLS standings at 51 points with four games left, the first time they have topped the table this late in the year. But with Seattle (50 points) enjoying two games in hand, New York must win at the league’s most daunting road venue, and do it despite Henry and Olave being held out for precautionary reasons sure to enrage many of the team’s fans.
Wright-Phillips suffered a hamstring injury last weekend and had an MRI exam Tuesday. He will be out at least a week and likely more. But Henry simply has not played on turf since arriving in the summer of 2010, nursing the Achilles woes that have dogged him since his Arsenal days.
“I haven’t had a direct conversation with [Henry] about it yet, but going by history, it would appear that he wouldn’t be available,” coach Mike Petke said. “It’s a big game, but the health of Thierry Henry is extremely important. I wouldn’t 100 percent rule him out, but going by his history, I wouldn’t hold out a ton of hope.”
Petke added Olave, nursing a knee injury, likely would sit as well.
“Both guys are huge question marks, but I wouldn’t want to lose him for the year,” Petke said. “I would probably lean toward more no, they would not be going.”
“It could be [Olave] could go through all 90 minutes. Or it could be one bad turn on the turf and you lose him for the whole season,” Petke said. “You go back to yes, it is an important game, but is it important enough to risk a key defender for the remainder of the year?”
Henry has skipped eight games on turf. The Red Bulls are just 1-2-5 in those games with a not-so-grand total of 10 goals. He played at Portland twice, and the Red Bulls erupted for three goals in each game. But at 36, with a balky Achilles, playing on turf is a risk the Red Bulls doctors, trainers and staff all agree isn’t worth taking.
“It’s very easy for supporters, even media, to say it’s a huge game and that it’s ridiculous or whatever,” Petke acknowledged. “But you have to go with the doctors, talk to the doctors. It’s not something that he doesn’t like turf. He has a chronic issue with the Achilles.
“It’s a situation where I am told by the doctor that it can be damaged, then it’s a situation [where] you’re not going to take that risk for one game no matter what the significance is, when there are still four more left, three more left to play in the regular season and hopefully the playoffs.”
It should be noted the turf in Portland is regarded as the best in MLS, while the turf in Seattle is frankly subpar, possibly a reason the Sounders had to rotate so many banged-up players to keep fresh through CONCACAF Champions League and U.S. Open Cup games to stay fresh.
The Red Bulls had no Champions League to deal with and a short Open Cup stay. Though their fans are champing at the bit because a Supporters Shield would be the first meaningful trophy the team has won, even a result in Seattle – perhaps at the cost of Henry and Olave’s health – guarantees nothing.
What would Henry do if this were an MLS Cup?
“Let’s get it out of the way: When it comes to a players’ health and their livelihood, I’m not making the sole decision here,’’ Petke said. “It’s not me saying, ‘No, he’s playing.’ I’d never do that.
“If I would have to guess and it’s MLS Cup on turf or it was a key playoff game on turf, I think the likelihood would be a bit more in their mind to say, you know, the hell with it. I’m going to risk it … because of the significance. I am not putting words in any players’ mouths. We’re talking about a game that’s still in the regular season with big games to come. It’s tough to answer that question.”