Player Focus: MLS Leading Light Thierry Henry Could Sign Off in Style

It was a moment that reminded us all just how good Thierry Henry is. And yet as the French striker lashed a strike into the top corner of the Sporting Kansas City net there was a sense of forlorn wistfulness. How many more goals like that will we see from Henry?

Indeed, one of the greatest strikers ever to have graced the sport is coming to the end of his illustrious career. There have even been heavy rumours that Henry could retire at the end of the current MLS season.

That piles more pressure on one of the league’s most scrutinized teams, the New York Red Bulls. In a season which will already see Landon Donovan call it a day at the close of the year it could be a case of which club can give their star man the biggest send-off.

But exactly how good is Henry right now? He is certainly one of the most decorated players to have graced the North American game, but is he still one of the best in MLS at present? Henry is an attacking hub across the Red Bulls’ frontline, producing an average of 3.1 shots on goal per game, placing him among the league’s top 10 performers in the corresponding column.

In the purest sense Henry still contributes to the New York Red Bulls’ goal tally, having netted 8 times so far this season. But the French striker is more than just a goal scorer for Mike Petke’s side.

In fact, Henry has somewhat played the supporting act to Bradley Wright Phillips’ main billing, with the former Charlton Athletic and Plymouth Argyle striker leading the league’s goalscoring standings with 21 goals from 26 appearances this season.

But Henry has contributed 10 assists this season, with only Donovan making more in MLS (11). And the French striker also boasts an impressive key passes per game average of 2.7, which ranks him among the likes of Diego Valeri and Javier Morales, both pure playmakers.

Both statistics illustrate how Henry has become more involved in the Red Bulls’ midfield play over the past two years or so. More often than perhaps at any other time of his career, Henry is dropping deep to pick up the ball and spray around possession.

He averages 37.4 passes per game, which is a higher average than Tim Cahill, who is by trade a central midfielder. Such figures demonstrates just how important Henry is to the Red Bulls’ general play. Meanwhile, remnants of what made him such a dangerous player in the Premier League, shown by his average of 1.6 dribbles per game, mean he remains a special player at this stage of his career. In MLS he is as functional as he is exceptional, and that's not a bad thing.

And on the basis of match ratings, Henry boasts a higher figure than any other player in MLS – 7.63. At the age of 37 Henry is not just leading the Red Bulls forward, but the rest of the league. Henry is central to the Red Bulls’ identity as a franchise. Everything stems out from the French striker, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Henry with the Red Bulls.

A training ground confrontation between Petke and the striker threatened to derail his career last season, but that conflict has been put aside as the club looks to improve on 2013’s Supporters’ Shield achievement.

“Thierry, true to who he is as a person and a captain, he sought me out and we had a long conversation,” Petke explained after the win over Sporting KC. "Together we rededicated ourselves and tried to figure some stuff out."

“I told him ‘Before you showed me what a captain is by coming to me earlier in the week and speaking about some things. Now we’re going to show what a captain is on the field’ and he did. He led the team, he put tireless work in and capped it off with a Goal of the Year nomination.”

While he might not yet have delivered the MLS Cup title, his signing was intended to inspire, and in that regard Henry has been an undoubted success in New York. And what’s more, he continues to be a danger on the pitch.

From a wider perspective Henry probably can’t claim to have been as integral to the growth of MLS as someone like David Beckham, but he seems driven to ensure he receives the same send-off by winning the MLS Cup.

Do you think it is time for Henry to retire or should he prolong his career for another season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below