New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry was named the MLS Player of the Week for Week 30 of the 2012 MLS season. Henry earned the honor for the fifth time this year after a one-goal, three-assist performance in New York’s 4-1 win over Toronto FC Saturday night at Red Bull Arena. The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR).
The Red Bulls could clinch a playoff spot at Red Bull Arena this Saturday, Oct. 6 when they take on Eastern Conference foe, the Chicago Fire, at 3:30 PM. The game will be nationally televised live on NBC. Tickets are available for the match by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER or logging onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.
Henry, who earlier this season became the first player in league history to earn three-straight MLS Player of the Week awards and won his fourth honor two weeks ago, became the first New York player in over 10 years to record three assists in a match. With New York down, 1-0, Henry helped tie the score up, delivering a corner kick that defender Markus Holgersson headed in. The Red Bulls went ahead for good in the 27th minute and Henry was again the provider, running onto a Lloyd Sam through ball and cutting it back to a wide open Kenny Cooper, who deposited it into the back of the net.
Henry earned his hat trick of assists two minutes from full time, controlling a Jan Gunnar Solli feed in the penalty box and sliding it to Cooper again, enabling the Red Bulls forward to record his team-high 16th goal of the season. The Red Bulls Designated Player was not finished and tallied a goal his own, spectacularly lobbing goalkeeper Freddy Hall from long range in stoppage time.
The Frenchman now has 14 goals, 12 assists and four multi-goal matches this season in 22 games played. Since signing with New York in July 2010, the World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Champions League winner has notched 30 goals and 19 assists in 59 appearances. Earlier this year, the 2011 MLS Best XI selection appeared in his second-straight MLS All-Star Game and was also the MLS Player of the Month for March.
