HANOVER, N.J. – If there was any doubt about Thierry Henry’s availability for Thursday’s July 4 battle with the Colorado Rapids (9:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), it was quickly put to rest on Tuesday.
Two days after taking a hit to his right Achilles in a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo, Henry trained with his New York Red Bulls teammates on Tuesday morning. The Red Bulls captain was limited during some parts of the practice session, but he is expected to be healthy enough to partake in New York’s Independence Day matchup at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
READ: Confidence key for Connor Lade as he carves out bigger role with Red Bulls
“Thierry is OK from the knock,” Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke told reporters. “I think it’s more it’s second day after a game, so a lot of these guys are heavy. I have no concern for Thierry from the knock for Thursday’s game.”
Henry suffered the hit early in the second half of the win against Houston when Dynamo left back Corey Ashe scrambled to deny Henry a chance on goal inside the penalty area. Ashe clipped Henry with his last-ditch slide tackle, resulting in Henry being tended to for several minutes by the Red Bulls’ medical staff.
READ: What to watch for in the Red Bulls' Independence Day match at Colorado
“If you look at the replay, I go for the ball and he goes on my Achilles and I think it was an accident, but it was pretty hurtful,” Henry said. “Five minutes after I was kind of okay and, as you can imagine, the day after I was a bit more sore but I’m all good with it.”
One player who will not be suiting up for the Red Bulls on Thursday is Juninho. The Brazilian midfielder was not at training on Tuesday and will miss the match against the Rapids as he tends to what Petke called a “personal matter.”
Franco Panizo covers the New York Red Bulls for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached by e-mail at Franco8813@gmail.com.
