Is Thierry Henry the Best Designated Player Signing in MLS History?

With two goals—including an MLS Goal of the Week nominee—and an assist in the New York Red Bulls 4-1 victory over the Columbus Crew on Sunday Thierry Henry was named MLS Player of the Week.

It’s the third week in a row he’s earned those honors and is the first player in MLS history to ever win three consecutive Player of the Week awards.

His historic run and impressive start to the season—seven goals and four assists—has New York Red Bulls fans excited. Since coming to the team in the middle of the 2010 season he has delivered the goods and has been a great Designated Player signing, worth his hefty contract (second-largest in the league).

Signing a player as a Designated Player contract has not historically meant success on the field. Many players, such as Luis Angel Landin, Blaise Nkufo and Geovanni have been failed signings.

Henry has been a success. In 42 MLS regular season games he has 23 goals and 11 assists. Has the Frenchman been the best DP signing in league history, though?

To properly gauge his impact we first have to exclude guys that graduated to DP salaries. Players like Landon Donovan, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alvaro Saborio, Fredy Montero and Shalrie Joseph came into the league on normal contracts. They played so well that they earned a raise, one that put them over the DP threshold. While they’ve had great careers in MLS they weren’t typical DP signings. They were given the contract because of past success in the league, not as high-profile transfers from teams around the world that have an uncertainty if they can adapt to MLS.



Robbie Keane had a nice run at the end of the season for the Galaxy, scoring four total goals in nine appearances across all competitions but he needs to play more games in MLS for us to be able to really determine his impact.

The real competition for best DP signing is between Henry, Juan Pablo Angel, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the man the rule was created for, David Beckham.

Blanco was a huge success for the Chicago Fire. In all three seasons his team made the playoffs and in 2007 and 2008 Blanco was selected as a finalist for the MVP award. He was an exceptional talent with a fiery attitude to match.

There could be two slight downsides to his time in MLS—and it could just be nitpicking—but one was that the Fire never made it past the conference finals. In 2009, his last year with the team the Fire were upset by wild card (and eventual champion) Real Salt Lake.

He also played forward but only scored 16 goals in three seasons for the team. A player’s value is not measure in goals alone, but as a forward it is your main job and Blanco did not light up the stats sheet.

Angel was a lethal scorer for the Red Bulls. He owns the record for most goals scored for the franchise in all competitions with 62 and was a fan favorite.

Angel was eventually moved out in favor of Henry however, and the Frenchman hasn’t disappointed especially with Angel slowing down in past years. Angel spent a lot of time in New York with injuries, struggled mightily with the Galaxy only scoring three goals all year and now finishing with Chivas.

As for Beckham, the English-midfielder was the reason the DP rule was made. Off the field he has lived up to all the hype. Beckham-mania has hit the country with all the commercials, magazine covers and jersey sales.

He’s sold out MLS stadiums on the road and his presence has gotten the league more attention, more respectability and influenced others, like Henry, to come over and play in the league. It’s hard to imagine any player ever making the kind of commercial-impact Beckham has had on the league.

His play on the field however has been more tumultuous. Yes, he was on the league’s Best XI last year and was a major component in the Galaxy winning the MLS Cup. That being said there has been so much negativity associated with Beckham’s on-field performance.



For the first four years of Beckham’s MLS contract he spent time either on the bench injured or on loan in Italy. He openly talked about his desire to go back to Europe in order to continue to play for the English national team. He fought with teammates, most notably Landon Donovan. All in all, he didn’t look like he really wanted to be in or play in America or with the Galaxy.

It wasn’t until his final year in his first MLS contract that Beckham seemed engaged and committed to Los Angeles and MLS.

Since coming to MLS, Henry has fully committed to the Red Bulls. He has retired internationally and is giving his full attention to his club team. He’s sometimes cantankerous as a player, has high expectations for himself and his teammates and he has no problem unleashing his emotions.

What he has done however is score lots of goals and he is always the hardest working player on the pitch for the Red Bulls. He knows when to take charge himself or when to set up his teammates. He was also part of the MLS Best XI last season.

He still needs to score more goals in big games (like Angel), dominate the league and receive individual attention for his play (like Blanco) and win a championship to go along with his ability to bring in more fans to games (like Beckham) but Henry has only played in 42 games, just a bit more than one full season.

What he has done in a short amount of time has been incredible. He is absolutely one of the best DP signing in league history and still has a lot of time to do even more.



Video from YouTube.
Photo Credits.
Thierry Henry: AP Photo/Mel Evans
Cuauhtemoc Blanco: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
David Beckham: AP Photo/Jonathan Moore

Good Times No More?

AP Photo/Rich Schultz

New York Red Bull fans have been lucky this season.

The team is finally in a new stadium. The team not only finally signed Thierry Henry—long rumored to be coming—but they also brought in Mexico National Team captain Rafael Marquez. Most importantly, the team has gone from worst team in MLS to a legitimate title contender.

However, in the 15 years of the franchise’s existence good fortunate has not been the norm, which has left the fan base waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It may have finally done so.

Juan Pablo Angel, not only arguably the best player in team history but also the best Designated Player in the league’s history, is apparently unhappy.

The team’s leading scorer, this season and all-time, started last Thursday’s game against the streaking FC Dallas on the bench.

Pressing for goals, points, and momentum, Angel appeared as a substitute and was a key player in the Dallas own goal that would tie the game.

No big deal right?

The team has a playoff spot pretty much wrapped up and Angel has a history of injury issues. So resting him and allowing newcomer Mehdi Ballouchy to get time with the first time was the right move one would think.

But there may be more than meets the eye here.

Angel, usually the consummate professional, has brushed off reporters questioning him about his role on the team. In his last year of his contract, there is no word from Red Bulls ownership of what they intend to do with him. There were rumors that Angel was shopped during the transfer window.

Is he being phased out of the lineup for good?

What happens beyond the season is one thing. Angel is 35-years-old, has had lingering injury issues as said before, and he can be a streaky shooter. The Red Bulls may decide to go in another direction with their third DP slot.

However, Angel is instrumental to the team on the field and their championship aspirations this season.

Angel is a player with a lot of big game experience. He demands a lot of attention on the field from opposing defenses, which opens up a lot of space. He is one of the most talented and clutch players in the league. He also has formed a great partnership and understanding with Henry.

Let’s also not forget that not only is he the team’s all-time leading scorer, but this season he also leads the team with 12 goals. In second place? Benchwarmer Salou Ibrahim and his three goals.

Things still have time to turn around. Going into the matchup with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Henry is inactive because of injury.

So playing on a nationally televised game, looking for credibility, momentum heading into the postseason, and ratings (MLS wants this more so) Angel should be back in the starting lineup. A goal and/or a win and all of this could be forgotten, at least until after the season.

Maybe it really is nothing. Rumors, a rest in the lineup and a bad day could cause a New York media to spiral a bit out of control.

But with everything going so well, New York Red Bull fans can’t help but to look over their shoulders and expect the absolute worst.

Strike Force

On Wednesday, the city of Houston played host to the Major League Soccer All-Stars.

Tonight, the Houston Dynamo will host the biggest star in the MLS today, who was ineligible for the “showcase” against Manchester United days earlier. Thierry Henry, the French International, will make his New York Red Bulls and MLS regular season debut.

On the heels of a World Cup that received a lot of attention, Henry has attracted a lot of focus to the Red Bulls and the league. Much like David Beckham in 2007, the high-profile star Henry will bring in a lot of money from jersey sales and extra fans to the games. He’ll also make a big difference on the field.

Henry played in two Red Bulls exhibition matches last week against English Premier League sides Tottenham and Manchester City and he impressed. He scored in the 25th minute of his debut against Tottenham and in both matches showed creativity and a great vision with dangerous passes that sprung forth a strong attack.

In both those games Henry only played the first 45 minutes. Against Houston however he will see increased time.

But what makes his MLS debut more special is that it will be the first pairing of him and New York captain Juan Pablo Angel.

Angel, another Designated Player with EPL experience, is the Red Bull’s all-time career goals leader (even though he has only played in three and a half seasons with the club). He is a quality finisher who the team has heavily depended on.

However they have yet to find a strike-partner for him. The team has paired him with ten different players—Jozy Altidore, John Wolyniec, Salou Ibrahim, Macoumba Kandji, Dominic Oduro, Dane Richards, Francis Doe, Oscar Echeverry, Mike Magee, and Clint Mathis—before landing Henry.

The pairing could easily be the most potent in all of MLS. Henry played on the wing for much of the beginning of his career which has helped him become a great passer and crosser.



They are both dangerous scorers so defenses will not be able to key on one and double him. They will have to respect both forwards which should create more space than either is used to as well as open the field for their teammates, especially the wings like Richards, Jeremy Hall, and Danleigh Borman, who all have good speed.

Henry also has good pace and is able to get behind the defense. All of those skills should help the two players find each other and wreck havoc on their opposition. The opponent in their first game together could help expedite the process.

Houston—in seventh place in the eight-team Western Conference— has given up 25 goals, tied for most in the Western Conference, and will be further weakened.

Veteran goalkeeper Pat Onstad missed practice on Thursday and is not expected to start. Central defender Bobby Boswell will also miss the game due to a suspension he must serve for receiving a red card in the Dynamo’s previous game against Columbus.

If Henry and Angel can capitalize on the opportunity of playing together and against a vulnerable defense then the team can gain some much needed momentum as they head into the end of the season pushing for a playoff spot.

Not only will a successful Henry-Angel tandem generate plenty of buzz for the league and the team off the field, but it may also finally bring home a trophy.

What once was a dream—not only landing Henry but also winning the championship—becomes, at least partly, a reality tonight.

Photo Credits.
Thierry Henry: AP Photo/Mel Evans
Juan Pablo Angel: AP Photo/Bill Kostroun