by Wayne Robins
Its not often we get to see the Tottenham Hotspurs, Manchester City and Manchester United play against our own United States professional (MLS) soccer teams. As part of a series of friendlies—played for fun and profit and preparation—what we call exhibition games—the Spurs of the EPL played the New York (actually, New Jersey) Red Bulls at Red Bulls Stadium outside Newark, N.J., Friday night. I caught part of the spectacle live on the Fox Soccer Channel (FSC). I missed Thierry Henry’s first goal as a Red Bull (he only played the first half), and from all accounts, the well-traveled, well-spoken Henry should be a fine addition to both the team and the league.
Henry at 32 is certainly as close to prime as a footballer as David Beckam (then 31) was when signed for more than $7 million a year with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, and much more so than the great Pele was at 37 when his signing to the New York Cosmos of the now-defunct North American Soccer League was meant to bring instant credibility to the professional sport in America. Pele came aboard in 1975 and retired from soccer as a Cosmo in 1977.
The competition in the EPL with teams like those from Tottenham and Manchester is still several steps tougher than that in the MLS, and this being a “friendly,” the Spurs had to play with several disadvantages. Several players took the field with their feet bound together by wire cords; others had to jump about in potato sacks. And Tottenham’s goalie had to play the second half handcuffed to one side of his goal.
Despite the disadvantage, the final tally was Tottenham 2, New York 1.
A truly dreadful Red Bull moment was a near own-goal that gave the visitors the winning edge in the second half, a clumsy moment caused when a Red Bulls player attempted a backward header in front of his own goal meant to be a pass to the goalkeeper, who scrambled haplessly for the ball, which appeared to be already over the line when (Gareth Bale) of Tottenham kicked it in. (Some consideration was given to forcing EPL teams to perform headers while standing on their heads in these exhibitions, but this was deemed as a drain the dignity of the game by the executive board of FIFA.)
Though the Red Bulls looked lackluster and lost, the Barclay’s player of the game was Thierry Henry, a bit of hype and local fanboyism. But then again, few other players really distinguished themselves, and the Bulls lacked both precision passing and strategic, disciplined defense without their new star in the second half.
Meanwhile, Henry’s pre-debut was made a mockery earlier in the week by co-hosts of the local Fox 5 broadcast channel’s morning news and entertainment program, “Good Day, New York.” Universally reviled all over the Web for the insipid questioning, hosts Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly did nil preparation for the interview, a lack of effort made clear when Scotto began by congratulating Henry on winning the World Cup.
Actually, most sentient beings know that Henry’s team in the World Cup, France, did not do so well in 2010. (Henry and France won as the host team in 1998.) Henry appeared unruffled, a gentleman and a professional, despite the exceedingly stupid questions and the slow enunciation that made it seem that neither Scotto nor Kelly knew that Henry speaks rather eloquent English, having lived for many years in England as a soccer legend for his play with North London’s Arsenal for more than eight seasons. He was divorced a few years ago from British model Claire Merry. Henry is going to have a good time in New York and New Jersey, and so should we as MLS begins what is being talked about as a mid-season binge of signing World Cup stars.
Taken from this post:
WAYNE’S WORDS: TOTTENHAM TAMES THIERRY BULLS
