FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — This was not the way Thierry Henry wanted things to end.
Not wꦜithout an MLS Cup title — one of th♚e only crowns he has not captured in his remarkable playing career.
Not on a bone-chilling dꦕay on artificial turf, a surface on which he has avoided playing like the plague because of his chronic Achilles tendon issues.
Not now.
But Saturday’s 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution in the road leg of the MLS Eastern Conference finals at Gillette Stadium appears to be the end for the international star who has brough🔥t as much flair as credibility, not only the Red Bulls, but also to the entire league in his four-plus years in America.
“I don’t think there’ll ever be a player in this league — there never ha🐽s been — that has what Thierry has, in all aspects,” an emotional Red Bulls coach Mike Petke said. “I’m ho🎃nored to have played with him, to have coached him and witnessed him every day in practice, the good and the bad times. And whatever he decides to do, he’s going to be successful at whatever he does.”
When New England’s Charlie Davies scored his second goal of the match to tie it at 2-2 in the 70tಞh minute, that meant the Red Bulls, who lost 2-1 last Sunday at home, needed a third road goal to advance to the MLS Cup.
But tha🌠t third goal never came, endin🦄g their season and likely Henry’s career in America.
Henry has been coy all season about his plans for 2015 and whether the wanted back for a fifth MLS season with tܫhe Re♔d Bulls.
But he has dropped enough hints inside his own locker🎶 room to let his teammates know this season was going to be it f๊or him.
After the match, Henry stood b꧋🔥efore reporters for less time than the Seahawks’ reticent running back Marshawn Lynch does after games and said: “Are you ready? This is going to be short. Well done, New England.”
With that, the enigmatic൲, temperament🍸al Frenchman briskly walked off. End of interview, if you could even call it that.
In recent interviews with Bri💛tish reporters, however, Henry s🐽aid enough to confirm this season would be it for him.
In a game in which the Red Bulls needed to score at least two goals to match the two road ဣgoals the Revs scored last week in New Jersey, Henry did his part.
In the 26th minute, he placed a perfect ball into the boot of Tim Cahill, who settle🍬d it and finished for a 1-0 Red Bulls 🌌lead.
Earlier, in the 14th minute, Henry had s𒆙ent a cross into the box for a waiting Cahill. As Cahill, a sniper in the air, was lining it up, New England keeper Bobby Shuttleworth made an aggressive play and punch☂ed the ball away.
In the 89th minute, Henry made a desperate run toward the goal box only to be thwartedಌ by a charging Shuttleworth.
That was the Red Bulls’ last great chance in th𓆉e match, in their season and likely in Henry’s MLS career.
“He was our leader toಌnight,” Red Bulls🍌 goal keeper Luis Robles said. “Without him it would have been a different situation.”
The Red Bulls’ Tim Cahill called his time with Henry the last two years “a pleasure,” adding, “We’ve had a go🌳od time. I’ve had a chance to know the legend on 🤪and off the park.”
This was not Henry’s first goodbye.
He lef🍌t Arsenal, he left Barcelona and now he is leaving New York.
Saturday’s front page of the French magazine L’Equipe displayed this powerfully poignant quote from Henry: “I will die with the lo꧂ve of the game. This will be a beautiful death.”
💙Nobody died Saturday at Gillette Stadium. But the loss was gut-wrenching for Red Bulls supporters because they came within one tantalizin🎀g goal of the MLS Cup.
And they did it without Bra🀅dley Wright-Phillips, their leading scorer.
Wright-Phillips, who tied the MLS record with 27 goals this season, waꦆs suspended because of two yellow cards in the playoffs.
His absence placed even more importance on༒ Henry delivering, which he did — jജust not quite enough.
Henry cemented his legend at 🔜Arsenal. But he has been at least as important a figure in putting🔴 Major League Soccer on the map as David Beckham, who came to the United States a amidst much more hype.
The $5 million per year the Red Bulls have been pa🐲ying Henry has been a ridiculous bargain.
You can bet the 💟Red Bulls and their fans will experience an Henry hangover in 2015 without him on the team, because even at age 37, he remains one of the best players in the league.
That’s what makes his departure so melancholy.