Some things from France get better with age, like wine and cheese. But not superstar strikers, and that’s a concession the Red Bulls are going to have to make.
Make no mistake, Thierry Henry has been, is and will continue to be the focal point of the Red Bulls. He confirmed to the Post that he has another year left on his contract, but with the Red Bulls now contending for four trophies across three fronts next season, coach Mike Petke admits he’s going to have to use his 36-year-old captain differently than in the past.
“He definitely falls into a category of somebody I need to sit down with and figure things out for all the competitions we have next year and all that travel that’s going to entail,’’ said Petke. “This year was very tough for me to take him off the field because of what he brings.
“I remember two games we had … and after the game chatting with the other coach who I know and comments they’d make like ‘It’s unbelievable having a Thierry Henry on your team. You could see in my guys’ eyes was a little bit of fear.’ That’s a credit to Thierry. That’s the reason why it was tough for me to take him off in my first year, because I know in any given moment he could be that spark, and he was for many moments this year.’’
Henry started 27 games, his most since coming to MLS; and his 2,519 minutes were fourth-most among Red Bull position players. But with Henry nursing a chronic Achilles injury – and set to turn 37 during next season – that number could drop, or at least be spread out.
By virtue of finishing with the best record in MLS, the Red Bulls not only won their first meaningful trophy – the Supporters’ Shield – but also qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time since 2009. That will require added games, and added travel, with Petke having to best determine how to use the biggest of his big guns.
“Thierry is our captain and he’s by far one of the, if not the best players in this league in his best moments,’’ said Petke. “We have him next year. He’s still under contract, (and) we’re thrilled to have him back. He’s been re-energized and refocused, and I think Thierry is and perhaps will be until he’s gone the focal point of this team, because what he can bring at any given moment.’’
According to the regular-season ending Castrol stats, Henry was ranked 15th overall in MLS, and 11th among the league’s 107 forwards. That makes the former French World Cup winner just a tad behind fellow Designated Player Tim Cahill as the team’s best player.
Henry had 10 goals and had another 19 shots on target (0.36 goals and 0.68 shots on target per 90 minutes played), the 20th best in MLS in goals/minute. He was also 10th best in passing, underscoring that he does more than just score – and that keeping him fresh and health will be vital to any title run they hope to have, after this season’s disappointing playoff exit in the Eastern Conference semis.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to have to sleep on it and reflect on it. You lose and you win as a team,’’ Henry said when asked to assess their playoff ouster at the hands of Houston. “(The Supporters’ Shield) is great for the club, but we didn’t manage to go where we wanted to go. You can’t point fingers at a couple of mistakes. We lost as a team.
“It was a great (season) I guess for Mike, first year as a coach, winning a Supporters’ Shield. But like I said, you know the rules: You have to win the MLS Cup to be champion, so we didn’t manage to do that.’’