So how is the MLS like Del Boca Vista from Seinfeld? Well, it kind of has become a retirement community for aging European soccer stars. Take Thierry Henry. The French soccer icon with the attractive girlfriend (but I’m not sure about that watch) has been rumored to be heading to our shores for quite some time, but now his former coach is lending weight to the reports. From Arsenal.com:
Some media reports have suggested a return to the Premier League, others to Major League Soccer in America. But after knowing the player since their days in Monaco in the mid-1990s, Wenger has a sense for what could happen.
“I believe he will go to the United States at the end of the season,” said the Frenchman.
“He will go certainly to the World Cup and after he will want to maybe cut a little bit of the immense pressure that is in Europe.
“Thierry will be 33. He started at 17 years of age. As a striker that’s 16 years at the top.”
A move to the MLS could also see Henry line-up against a couple of fellow former Invincibles. Freddie Ljungberg has been in fine form for the Seattle Sounders, and the expansion team Philadelphia Union have revealed they are in talks to sign Robert Pires.
Henry has other reasons to consider the United States as a destination. Among them is his long-standing friendship with French NBA player Tony Parker.
Asked if Parker could influence a move to America, Wenger said “Parker, yes. I don’t know if he will do that but I won’t be surprised because he was always a fan.”
The smart money is with Henry landing with the Red Bulls in New York. Why does it always seem that a European soccer star who wants to come to the U.S. has to have a celebrity sponsor? Like David Beckham and Tom Cruise. At any rate, if it wasn’t for this story, I never would have known that the Nationals are only the second-crappiest pro sports team in D.C. From the New York Post:
They’ll still want that final season on his deal paid up, but the latter report implies the MLS move is a fait accompli. It also mentioned D.C. as a possible darkhorse destination, but that seems highly unlikely.
United owner Will Chang is drowning in debt with no sign of a stadium on the horizon as venerable RFK crumbles and his 0-5 club — losers to the Red Bulls Saturday — are off one of the worst starts in league history.
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Wenger — I think Henry will go Stateside [Arsenal.com]
Reports: Henry negotiates summer move from Barcelona to MLS [New York Post]
