|
As the end of possibly more than one era draws closer, it was fascinating to consider the contrasts of Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry lining up for the L.A. Galaxy and New York Red Bulls as the two sides faced each other on Sunday night. Donovan, of course, is on a confirmed farewell tour, while Henry has yet to decide his future at the end of his contract with the Red Bulls this year -- though the popular money is on these next few games being his unofficial farewell tour as well. And while Donovan is looking to go out on a high with yet another MLS Cup, Henry is yet to win the trophy since joining the league in 2010, and is playing in a flawed team who must be regarded as outsiders again this year. Depending on what happens at the end of this season he may or may not decide to have one more go. Henry's ambivalence seems to extend to the team he plays for -- scintillating at times in demolishing Seattle last week, yet routinely baffled and harried-looking as the Galaxy took them apart this week. It's redolent of a certain indistinctness about the team this year, right at the time a distinctive presence is about to become vitally important in the New York market. When NYCFC arrive, the historic East-West rivalry between New York and L.A. that dates back to the very opening day of the league itself may never be quite as significant again. It's arguably not just Donovan and Henry who were coming close to a type of ending on Sunday night. Anyway, in both of the last two games, Henry was trying things, but his influence can be as intermittent as it can be profound on the team -- especially when the central midfield tandem of Tim Cahill and Dax McCarty spend their game chasing shadows in defense rather than supporting their attackers. The Red Bulls were pinned back by a hard-working Galaxy midfield and the few chances they created seemed to find Bradley Wright-Phillips with his touch deserting him, as it occasionally does -- it's a phenomenon that saw Henry complain that his teammate "should already be at 40" goals after he broke the club's regular season scoring record earlier this year. The Red Bulls score a lot and concede a lot. If they drift out of playoff contention and Henry decides to quietly take his leave, it would be both anti-climactic and yet oddly appropriate for a side that has consistently threatened to coalesce into a force around his talents, but has also showed a knack for shooting themselves in the foot at crucial times, especially during the playoffs -- last year's elimination by Houston after leading in both legs was the prime example. The late charge to the Supporters Shield that preceded that loss ultimately only served to highlight the eventual disappointment. They could win it all; they could miss the playoffs. Henry might stay and be playoff MVP, or he could clear out his locker in October and we could find out he's retired via an offseason interview in London. The Derek Jeter, or even Donovan tour, this is not. L.A., meanwhile, have the air of certainty about them. Some of that comes from the drive of Donovan himself -- seemingly liberated by his decision to retire and enjoying these final weeks. This "'Let it Be'/'Abbey Road'" period has seen Donovan look like he's having fun again and seen the Galaxy run neck and neck with Seattle at the top of the Supporters Shield standings. The team have also acquired a further collective sense of purpose with rallying around their teammate A.J. DeLaGarza after the tragic death of his infant son a few weeks ago. Their season, as always it seems, was fragmented at the start -- not poor, necessarily, but it took a while to get going with scheduling quirks. But Bruce Arena has got the side cooking at the right time and Donovan has used his World Cup disappointment to focus on his club side and break all manner of records (on Sunday he equaled Steve Ralston's league record of 135 assists and should soon hold both the goals and assists records outright). But as Donovan knows and Henry could tell him with a certain amount of rueful experience, no individual can carry an MLS side the whole way. Donovan may have had a goal and three assists in the rout of the Red Bulls, but his teammate Robbie Keane was in no mood to stand aside and let any sentimental appreciation of Donovan and Henry obscure his talents. When Donovan and Henry depart the scene, and perhaps down the line when the very designated player model ceases to exist after future collective bargaining agreements, Keane may very well be regarded as the best historical example of the genre -- as near to a plug-and-play instant upgrade as any MLS side has had. On Sunday, Keane showed his trademark Houdini skills to wriggle into space in the Red Bulls box, before hitting the sweetest of chips over Luis Robles to open the scoring. He'd score again and be a consistent thorn in the Red Bulls side all evening. Yet even he wasn't the story. Just as importantly for L.A., they have developed a third striking threat this year, with the exponential improvement of Gyasi Zardes, the highest scoring American player in the league, with 16, and also the principal beneficiary of space provided by defenses worried by Keane and Donovan. Add in Alan Gordon for the type of brute force physical threat when needed (sorely missed, for example, when the Galaxy suffered their only playoff series loss of the last three years against a physical RSL side last year), not to mention an industrious midfield, and the overlapping of Robbie Rogers, who's been a revelation as a reinvented full-back, and Donovan has plenty of reasons to believe his storyline is arcing towards a fairy-tale ending. Henry and the Red Bulls, meanwhile, are navigating a choose-your-own-adventure book, and might wish they could skip back an entry for a different outcome for Sunday evening, as the two veterans' trajectories diverged. Despite the deserved All-Star ovation for the Frenchman, there's no guarantee of a fitting ending with his team that sees his commitment to the league suitably honored. While Donovan looks forward to a potential home-and-home Seattle series that could decide the Supporters Shield, and possibly trail a Western Conference final to determine the MLS Cup venue, the Red Bulls are pursuing any spot above the red line, with a three-game homestand before finishing the season at Kansas City. We may have that long left to watch Thierry Henry play. We could well have a month more than that of Donovan.
|
