MLS Should Say Good Riddance to Thierry Henry

Thanks for coming Thierry

So Thierry Henry is on his way back to Arsenal. Great (yawn). Maybe Henry and David Beckham can share a row in first class on their way back to jolly ol' England. Personally, makes me no never mind whether Henry returns to the Gunners. It's just the symptom of bigger issues on both sides of the pond.

MLS continues to spiral down this NASL-like path of being a destination for older, fading European and South American stars who want the fan worship and exposure here and maybe cash in on some valuable marketing dollars. The ulterior motive from a football perspective is a little more subtle--MLS essentially becomes an offseason training camp for these older players who either are pining for one last fling with their national team (ahem, Becks) or last-gasp return to glory--and paycheck--with the club with whom they made their name. Go on MLS, keep bringing in the likes of Henry, Beckham, Roy Keane et al. These soon-to-be 40-somethings are just using you and taking up a roster spot for someone young you could develop.

Henry had a good year with Red Bull scoring 14 goals in 26 games. The 34-year-old is Arsenal's all-time leading scorer and the club recently unveiled a statue of the French star at the Emirates Stadium. His move to Arsenal is a two-month loan that will end Feb. 16 after Arsenal's next Champions League match. Arsene Wenger is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle bringing in Henry as Arsenal is in a desperate fight for fourth in the Premier League, which guarantees the Gunners a spot in next season's Champions League.

Will he help? Probably since Henry is in shape and will certainly have momentum, adrenaline and fan support on his side. Will he stay? Depends, but if he has any kind of success, then change that "depends" to a yes. As Beckham did with AC Milan, Henry is likely to tell Red Bull "see ya in May" if he pots a few goals and Arsenal gets into contention for the title or at a minimum, Champions League qualification. The latter is likely and if Henry is making any kind of impact, he's gonna "Beckham" Red Bull the same way Becks did to the Galaxy.

I've said it before; MLS needs to discipline itself and not whore itself out to these guys  just to sell jerseys and tickets. There has to be some long-range vision here; ask Jurgen Klinsmann whom he's rather see on the Red Bull roster: Some young potential USMNT player, or Henry, Beckham or Zidane? Bringing in the Thierry Henrys of the world doesn't grow the game in America, it just pads the players' wallets, MLS' pockets and does nothing to advance the game in this country.

Handball Thierry Henry Coming to MLS

How about a hand for MLS? Thierry Henry is joining America's first division and I'm anxious to see him lend his touch to Red Bull New York. Finally, a big-time name playing for a big-time East Coast city; not much of a head-scratcher if you ask me. Sounds like a solid plan to bring in the fading French star to a ballclub with a new ballpark in order to generate interest and give the New Yorkers an identity. Can't wait for the ovation--for sure it won't sound like fingernails on a chalkboard.

OK, enough veiled handball references. If you got the sarcasm, 10 points to you for being able to read between the lines. This deal, from a big-picture point of view, is everything that's wrong with MLS. In and of itself, no there's nothing wrong with Henry. He still has his legs. He'll standout with Red Bull NY, score his share and put butts in the seats. A win all around.

But hey MLS, what about all that talk of not turning MLS into the NASL? First David Beckham, now Henry. Paging Mr. Zidane, Mr. Zinadine Zidane? Granted, Henry isn't breaking the bank with his deal, but Beckham's tenure with the L.A. Galaxy was nothing short of disastrous. From Day 1, Beckham chased a coach and had L.A. bring in Ruud Gullitt as his choice. How did that go? Right. Then they stripped Landon Donovan of the captain's armband in favor of Becks, who from Day 1, COULDN'T PLAY!!

Remember his first appearance in L.A. against Chelsea? He was on the bench tugging at his gimpy ankle for 70-plus minutes before he got some token time late in the match. This was and is Donovan's team and for cowardly Alexi Lalas to have done that to Donovan is still unforgivable. And what did Beckham do the first chance he could? Yes, he bolted for A.C. Milan. Why? Again, reading between the lines, he wanted better competition. He wanted a bigger stage in order to keep his spot on the England World Cup team.

Will the former Mr. Nicole Merry disrupt Red Bull to the same degree? Maybe not. Red Bull is MLS' classic underachiever. They've made one final and have been in the playoff hunt a handful of other times. But its desperately lacking a name star--sorry Juan Pablo Angel, as good as he is, ain't a household name. And that's the problem with Henry. His is a household name, and his cache' is what brings him here. Would Thierry Henry have come here five years ago? Nooooooo.

MLS is where good players come to die/retire. Henry will be on holiday here, playing in the second-division for the offseason, hoping for one last fling in Europe with a Tottenham-type of team. He'll sell tickets in New York for sure, and will generate a curiosity factor in other cities, at least the first time around. He'll score some goals and win some games--maybe.

But this isn't a good deal for MLS. In fact MLS, call me when you sign a Thierry Henry type IN HIS PRIME. Until then, I've seen this show before. Not interested.

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Wink: Thierry Henry Headed to MLS (some day)

So Thierry Henry is bound for MLS. Says so right on Sports Illustrated's Web site. Yep, he's coming to America. Messi? Ronaldinho? Camp Nou? No thanks. Give him Twellman or DeRosario; set up him at the Home Depot Center. After all, he's good buddies with hoop star Tony Parker and also struck up a friendship with Deron Williams at Parkers nuptials to Eva Longoria. Naturally where else would a top 5 striker in Europe end up but in the good ol' U.S. of A., the world's football hotbed.?

Somebody better tell Henry quickly that the only football Americans care about is shaped rather oddly.

And somebody better tell Sports Illustrated that the MLS and America is where once-great footballers come to die--well maybe not die--but at least close down their careers.

Outside the outlandishness of the thought that Henry might some day play quality minutes in MLS, the interview does offer some insight.

SI.com: Eto'o will come off the injury list soon. How will you, Ronaldinho, Messi and he all play at once?

Henry: I'm not the guy in charge -- there's only one guy who can tell you that. But that definitely can be and will be something great because Sammy is a great player. But whoever's out there on the pitch is going to have to help Barcelona win. That's the most important thing.

SI.com: Arsenal is still undefeated this season, and you were quoted as saying the team may actually be better off without you because of its style of play.

Henry: I don't know about that. People like to tweak quotes and that sounds better. Before I arrived and when I left, Arsenal has remained Arsenal. Players come and go. When I watch them play, I see the same Arsenal -- moving the ball, playing one-two touch football, scoring the Arsenal way. It's the same thing. It's been like that the last the 11 years. The only thing that might change is [manager] Arsène Wenger. If he leaves, they stop being Arsenal.

SI.com: You left a club known for producing amazing young players, but Barcelona might be even better in that regard.

Henry: It's just ridiculous. You see one coming through one year, the next year it's another one. Recently they've had guys like Bojan Krkic and Giovani dos Santos coming through. But some of these older guys came through the system, like Xavi and Carles Puyol. Even Cesc Fàbregas [of Arsenal] came from here. Both clubs are known for that, but it is amazing how every year Barça seems to have like one or two players being called the next big star. It becomes almost normal, but that's just the way it is.

Henry also laments never having won the Champions League with Arsenal. Guess what TH14, you won't get it again this year. In fact, your former club is in better shape to win the big-eared cup than Barca. Luck just seems to avoid some guys. At least he's on a first-name basis with Eva.

McLeish Out in Scotland; Henry Out for Barcelona

Two breaking news pieces:

Alex McLeish has quit as Scotland manager. McLeish was in line for a job at Birmingham in the Premier League, and reportedly the Scottish FA scuttled that opportunity, apparently to McLeish's chagrin.

and...

Thierry Henry's aching back and sore groin will keep him on the sidelines today as Barcelona travels to Lyon in the Champions League.

More on McLeish from Granite City, Dave Hill, and Caught Offside.