UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. – For Thierry Henry, the poster boy of MLS isn’t David Beckham, Landon Donovan or Freddy Adu. It’s his former teammate Dwayne De Rosario.
While addressing the media on Tuesday, Henry was asked by MLSsoccer.com if he thought the team needed a No. 10 type like De Rosario, who was acquired by the team in a trade with Toronto FC then shipped to D.C. United within a three-month span.
“With Dwayne you’ve got to use him well; in this league I haven’t seen anybody better than Dwayne De Rosario,” Henry responded. “It is easy to say that, because he scored 16 [goals] and 12 [assists], but I saw him in training.”
De Rosario, who had three goals along with five assists in his 15 combined games with Toronto and New York, thrived at RFK. Stadium. In just 18 games with United, De Rosario became a MVP candidate with 13 goals and seven assists.
2011 MVP finalist - Dwayne De Rosario
“I thought he was a decent player in Toronto, and when I saw his record, saw he won four MLS Cups and been in the league for a very long time, I think you guys should talk about him more,” Henry said. “For me, he’s the face of this league. His record talks for itself.”
Henry also admitted that a player in the mold of a No. 10, similar to De Rosario, would be a welcome addition to the Red Bull squad in the offseason. A player of that nature could perhaps add a creative spark between the midfield and attack, which Henry felt could have made a difference against LA in the playoffs.
“Anyone [would] like to have a guy like [De Rosario]," Henry said. "If you go back to the game against LA, as long as we played through the lines and reached me, then I was able to do stuff."
The Red Bulls captain also pointed to a possible change in their style of play for next season, if they were to acquire a high-caliber attacking midfielder.
“Then we started to play long ball [against LA]," Henry said. "If you have a No. 10 and you play long ball, what’s the point to have a No. 10?”
