littlemandefoe
Conte's Blue and White Army!
- May 22, 2005
- 4,245
- 4,540
A bit surprised... Think he will bang a few in there though.
http://www.nj.com/redbulls/index.ss...ry_henry_--_now_the_fans_need_to_step_up.html
When Red Bull bought the MetroStars on March 9, 2006, the outcry was heard loud and long.
The fans loved their beloved MetroStars. And despite all the general manager changes, the coaching merry-go-round and the endless players that wore the jersey, it was their team, no matter how bad the record was or how little faith they had in the future.
Red Bull made promises that day. Unlike when it bought SV Austria Salzburg in 2005 and officially wiped out its history when it became Red Bull Salzburg, ownership chose to recognize the history of the MetroStars.
Whether that was done to appease American soccer fans, who knows? Maybe ownership figured with a history like that, the only place to go was up. Either way, they were moving forward.
Six months later came the groundbreaking on Red Bull Arena, and while it took four years to complete — which could be a record to get something accomplished in New Jersey — the stadium is the crown jewel of Major League Soccer.
The final promise ownership made will be fulfilled Thursday when Thierry Henry is unveiled as the team’s second designated player.
“It’s important to deliver what you promise,” Red Bulls general manager and sporting director Erik Soler said prior to Saturday night’s game against D.C. United. “The Red Bulls promised to build a new stadium. They’ve done that. We also promised to get some decent players in this season. We’ve done that.
“... We also said we would bring in some star players. We’ll bring the first in on Thursday. It’s important to deliver what we say we’ll do. If we do that, I think people will frequently be coming to the stadium.”
For a franchise that has fielded a number of legendary foreign players, Henry will top that list. And at age 32 he is still playing at a very high level.
His résumé speaks for itself. World Cup winner in 1998 ... European Championship winner in 2000 ... Champions League winner in 2009 ... all-time scorer in French national team history with 51 goals.
Henry’s arrival tops that of Lothar Matthaeus, Roberto Donadoni, Youri Djorkaeff and Branco in the franchise’s annals of great players. All were World Cup winners, except for Donadoni, and he came within a penalty-kick shootout in the 1994 final of hoisting the trophy.
All were past their prime when they arrived. Henry is not. And while he may not be the player who scored 174 goals in 254 games for Arsenal from 1999 to 2007, he will make those around him better with his work ethic and field presence.
And he will score goals.
Matthaeus, Donadoni, Djorkaeff and Branco combined to play 121 games but scored just 19 goals. Djorkaeff, with 12 goals and 11 assists in 45 games, and Donadoni, with six goals and 17 assists in 49 games, at least pulled their weight. But Matthaeus (no goals in 16 games) and Branco (one goal, 3 red cards in 11 games) did not.
Soler also mentioned a third designated player arriving in the next few weeks. Recently, coach Hans Backe said the club was hoping for a true No. 10, a central midfield playmaker to get the ball to Henry and Juan Pablo Angel in the box.
That priority may have changed. The name you hear most frequently now is Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, a defensive midfielder who can also play in the back. Backe is familiar with Marquez, having been an assistant coach under Sven-Goran Eriksson with the Mexican national team from 2008-09.
The Red Bulls are averaging 16,277 fans per game, tied for fifth in MLS but a bit below the league average. Henry’s presence, and possibly that of Marquez, could make a Red Bulls game a very tough ticket to get.
Red Bull and Soler have kept their promises. Now it’s time for a long-suffering fan base to not only step up, but show up.
http://www.nj.com/redbulls/index.ss...ry_henry_--_now_the_fans_need_to_step_up.html
When Red Bull bought the MetroStars on March 9, 2006, the outcry was heard loud and long.
The fans loved their beloved MetroStars. And despite all the general manager changes, the coaching merry-go-round and the endless players that wore the jersey, it was their team, no matter how bad the record was or how little faith they had in the future.
Red Bull made promises that day. Unlike when it bought SV Austria Salzburg in 2005 and officially wiped out its history when it became Red Bull Salzburg, ownership chose to recognize the history of the MetroStars.
Whether that was done to appease American soccer fans, who knows? Maybe ownership figured with a history like that, the only place to go was up. Either way, they were moving forward.
Six months later came the groundbreaking on Red Bull Arena, and while it took four years to complete — which could be a record to get something accomplished in New Jersey — the stadium is the crown jewel of Major League Soccer.
The final promise ownership made will be fulfilled Thursday when Thierry Henry is unveiled as the team’s second designated player.
“It’s important to deliver what you promise,” Red Bulls general manager and sporting director Erik Soler said prior to Saturday night’s game against D.C. United. “The Red Bulls promised to build a new stadium. They’ve done that. We also promised to get some decent players in this season. We’ve done that.
“... We also said we would bring in some star players. We’ll bring the first in on Thursday. It’s important to deliver what we say we’ll do. If we do that, I think people will frequently be coming to the stadium.”
For a franchise that has fielded a number of legendary foreign players, Henry will top that list. And at age 32 he is still playing at a very high level.
His résumé speaks for itself. World Cup winner in 1998 ... European Championship winner in 2000 ... Champions League winner in 2009 ... all-time scorer in French national team history with 51 goals.
Henry’s arrival tops that of Lothar Matthaeus, Roberto Donadoni, Youri Djorkaeff and Branco in the franchise’s annals of great players. All were World Cup winners, except for Donadoni, and he came within a penalty-kick shootout in the 1994 final of hoisting the trophy.
All were past their prime when they arrived. Henry is not. And while he may not be the player who scored 174 goals in 254 games for Arsenal from 1999 to 2007, he will make those around him better with his work ethic and field presence.
And he will score goals.
Matthaeus, Donadoni, Djorkaeff and Branco combined to play 121 games but scored just 19 goals. Djorkaeff, with 12 goals and 11 assists in 45 games, and Donadoni, with six goals and 17 assists in 49 games, at least pulled their weight. But Matthaeus (no goals in 16 games) and Branco (one goal, 3 red cards in 11 games) did not.
Soler also mentioned a third designated player arriving in the next few weeks. Recently, coach Hans Backe said the club was hoping for a true No. 10, a central midfield playmaker to get the ball to Henry and Juan Pablo Angel in the box.
That priority may have changed. The name you hear most frequently now is Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, a defensive midfielder who can also play in the back. Backe is familiar with Marquez, having been an assistant coach under Sven-Goran Eriksson with the Mexican national team from 2008-09.
The Red Bulls are averaging 16,277 fans per game, tied for fifth in MLS but a bit below the league average. Henry’s presence, and possibly that of Marquez, could make a Red Bulls game a very tough ticket to get.
Red Bull and Soler have kept their promises. Now it’s time for a long-suffering fan base to not only step up, but show up.
