Henry, Bulls happy at home
THIERRY HENRY had two words for the home crowd.
“I’m back,” he shouted during the goal celebration.
At least for one game, so were the Red Bulls.
The team with perpetually unfulfilled expectations entered Sunday’s home opener in Harrison against the Rapids in mini-crisis mode, with last season’s disasters, a coach on the hot seat and a twogame losing streak to start this campaign.
So there was an edge to its pregame attitude, coach Hans Backe said, and a killer instinct emanating from its star forward.
Henry, not far removed from his six-week stay with Arsenal, scored twice and assisted on another goal in the Red Bulls’ 4-1 dominating victory. The 34-yearold then stood near the lockerroom entrance and embraced his longtime fan, Spike Lee, who took advantage of the Knicks’ off day to
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join the 21,024 fans at Red Bull Arena.
“I think you can say it wasn’t a must-win but almost after losing two games on the road,” Backe said. “You lost two games, you’re a little bit under pressure. You need to perform, you need to dig in. As we said, we need to be unbeatable at our stadium. That has to be the target. Make it a fortress and not just words.”
It didn’t take long for the Red Bulls (1-2-0) to secure the walls. Henry intercepted an errant pass from Colorado’s Ross Labauex in the third minute, converting it into the breakaway goal that prompted the Frenchman to announce his resurrection to the home crowd.
“I just felt like saying it,” said Henry, sticking to his script of combative interviews with the media.
Kenny Cooper scored the first of his two goals three minutes later, and the Red Bulls breezed through the remainder. Not that the victory cured all ills of the last year. Rafa Marquez, the irritable midfielder coming off a threegame suspension for throwing a ball at Landon Donovan last season, picked up a yellow card in the 60th minute for a tackle from be- hind on Labauex.
Seventeen minutes later, Marquez’s turnover in the midfield led to the lone goal for Colorado (2-1) — a breakaway and upper-corner conversion from Omar Cummings.
So in another statement, Marquez kicked the grass in disgust. Still, on this day, Henry’s resonated loudest.