Thierry Henry - Legend

It is hard to talk about Arsenal without mentioning Thierry Henry, the club's all-time leading scorer and an integral part of the modern era of success at Arsenal, including his huge role in the club's unbeaten season in 2003-04. As I've probably mentioned before, I'm a big fan of Arsenal and have become very loyal to my club. Thierry Henry is legendary to me, and I've always wanted to see him play in person.

What does all of this have to do with New York? Well, Thierry Henry is now the star of the New York Red Bulls, one of the most talented teams in the MLS. This Saturday, I got the chance to see him in person. My friend John, another devoted fan of Arsenal, came to visit this weekend, so we decided to go to see the Red Bulls play against the Philadelphia Union. This is known as the I-95 rivalry, and the geographic proximity of the two teams (plus Sebastien Le Toux leaving New York to play for Philadelphia) makes this a fairly heated rivalry. Granted, nothing in the MLS comes close to the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers rivalry, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the passion of the home fans.

Saturday started off like a normal day during English Premier League season, with me watching the Arsenal match. Arsenal thoroughly dominated Reading, leading to a 4-1 victory and edging closer to the sliding Chelsea in the table. After that, John and I made a stop at Tim Horton's for breakfast, enjoying some good donuts and coffee. My large iced capp was a bit too large to finish before we left for the Red Bulls game, but I saved it for later (sort of... it got rock solid in the freezer and when I thawed it out later it wasn't the same).

Getting to Red Bull Arena, which is in Harrison, New Jersey, is very convenient, as you just take the subway to Fulton Street or Park Place and catch a PATH train a couple blocks away. The PATH train stops about 5 minutes walking distance away from the stadium, and we arrived just in time for the national anthem. Our seats were 3 rows up on one of the corners, which was really cool because we got to see players setting up to take corners up close.

The first half was fairly uneventful, other than ruthlessly booing Sebastien Le Toux (former Sounder and Red Bull) for going to Philadelphia. Thierry Henry didn't start, so John and I were worried that we might not see him play. However, we saw him start to warm up on the far sideline early in the second half, and immediately starting to get excited for him to enter the game. Soon after, the Red Bulls went up 1-0 on a beautiful flicked-on volley from midfielder Dax McCarty. The players ran over to the corner flag right in front of us to celebrate, which made it more exciting. The stadium was buzzing with energy after that goal.

McCarty celebrates.

Thierry Henry entered the game soon after, and John and I were quick to join most of the stadium in giving him a standing ovation. The man is a legend, not really any other way to say it. Unfortunately, the Union equalized soon after, and New York fans got nervous that it might end in a draw. Thierry Henry had a thrilling bicycle kick shot attempt in the 75th minute that went just wide, but we cheered him for the great skill he showed. In the 81st minute, Henry came through in an absolutely thrilling fashion. He made a great run into the box and received a cross, which he volleyed up with his right foot, and smashed it into the goal with his left. It was a beautiful show of skill that everyone has come to expect from Henry, and John and I were going crazy. He shows such grace and skill with the ball, and seems to glide elegantly as he runs, making it wonderful to see him play.

Legend.

The game finished at 2-1 Red Bulls, though not without excitement at the end. Philadelphia appeared to have equalized again in stoppage time, but one of their players was called (rightfully so) for a foul on New York's goalkeeper. There was a collective sigh of relief, and we soaked in what turned out to be a great win. It was truly a dream come true to see Thierry put on such a show in person, capped off by the game-winning goal.

When John and I got back to New York City after the game, our next stop had to be Katz' Deli for a delicious sandwich. John enjoyed the classic corned beef reuben, while I was given a corned beef sandwich (though I ordered a reuben). Not to worry, though, the corned beef sandwich, which was piled high with the juicy and tender meat, combined very well with the spicy mustard. We left feeling very full.

Nom.

Bottom line, it was another great soccer-filled day, and one I won't soon forget.