(by James Edward deseretnews.com 9-2-10)
Thierry Henry has been around long enough to avoid providing bulletin-board fodder for the opposition.
When addressing the Utah media in a conference call Thursday, the New York striker referred to Real Salt Lake as the champs nearly a half a dozen times.
"We know it's going to be a very difficult game, they really play very well at home. They're the champions. We're going to have to be up for it," said Henry, a international superstar who joined MLS earlier this summer.
Henry, 33, signed with the Red Bulls after the World Cup and he's started six matches, registering one goal and three assists. The former Arsenal and Barcelona star will get his seventh start this Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium when RSL hosts New York.
Since Henry's arrival New York is 3-1-2 and has climbed to within four points of Columbus atop the Eastern Conference standings.
As a whole, Henry has been pleasantly surprised by the level of play in MLS.
"The league is very competitive, very hard, especially to play away from home. Every time we've played a team the team was trying to play football which was a great thing to see," he said.
Real Salt Lake — particularly at Rio Tinto Stadium — does that as well as any team in MLS. It's a fact not lost on Henry.
Even though the team lacks a big-money designated player, Henry is impressed by how well organized RSL is and how the players compete as a team.
"They're a great team," he said.
RSL coach Jason Kreis believes the same thing is happening at New York. Since the summer arrival of Henry and Mexican star Rafael Marquez — who will miss Saturday's match because of international duty — Kreis believes the Red Bulls are a much better team.
"It's a really, really strong group. It's a team that looks like it's enjoying their soccer right now. I think that the whole group was re-energized by the addition of Henry and Marquez, and in particular (Juan Pablo) Angel looks to me to be a brighter player since those guys have joined."
RSL keeper Nick Rimando knows it will be a big challenge.
The last thing he wants to see Saturday night is a dynamic player like Henry dribbling toward him in open space, but at the same time Rimando is a competitive individual and he'd welcome the opportunity.
Big picture, Rimando is thrilled to see a player with Henry's credentials here in MLS.
"I think it's great. If the owner can pay that money to a player like that, that wants to continue to play and not just come here for a vacation I think it's always good to get players like that in this league," he said. "He's still the same player, the ball's at his feet he's going to do the special things that he does."
Even though he's happy to be in MLS, Henry insists he's not 100 percent and probably won't be until next season after his body truly gets an offseason.
Following the end of the La Liga season in May with Barcelona, Henry immediately began training with France for the World Cup. A few weeks after France's quick exit, he was in New York ready to join the Red Bulls.
"It's kind of difficult to arrive in midseason and you don't have any kind of preseason. I arrived from my holidays and I had to play straight away without having any preparation or anything, that's the most difficult thing for me to deal with," he said.
He says facing "the champs" will be very difficult as well.
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