MATCHCENTER

HARRISON, N.J. – Thierry Henry didn't disappoint a crowd of more than 20,000 who came to see his MLS debut. The Red Bulls' new star scored a goal in one half of play despite New York falling 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in the opening match of the Barclays New York Challenge at Red Bull Arena on Thursday.

The buildup to the goal was memorable. Joel Lindpere turned on Tottenham defender Alan Hutton and centered a cross into the box. Sprawling to meet the ball, Henry directed the pass past a diving Carlo Cudicini for his first goal in a New York kit.

Henry announced himself several times in the 45 minutes he played with a handful of chances. In the 7th minute, a bouncing ball into the area somehow fell to the Frenchman. With one touch, he turned and found himself in alone on Cudicini and his shot forced the Italian 'keeper into a save that brought the crowd to its feet.

Three minutes later, some clever work down the left flank by Henry forced Cudicini into a sprawling effort to smother his pass across the box. Then, in the 11th minute, Henry powered a shot wide of goal from about 25 yards out.

GOALS

	VS
NEW YORK		TOTTENHAM

---

Comparison

	NEW YORK		TOTTENHAM
SHO Shots				SHO Shots
SOG Shots on Goal				SOG Shots on Goal
SVS Saves				SVS Saves
F Fouls				F Fouls
OFF Offsides				OFF Offsides
CK Corner Kicks				CK Corner Kicks

More than anything, Henry did the little things. He chased down 50-50 balls and hunted down the goalkeeper to force clearances.

Most importantly, he elevated the play of everyone around him with not only his skill and deft touch but just with his presence on the field.

Beyond the former Arsenal and Barcelona star, the formula for New York much of the first half was the same simple one that has propelled the team into second-place in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break.

Playing compact defense and getting all their players behind the ball, New York frustrated Tottenham in the opening half, creating scoring chances and holding their own.

After five second-half substitutes by New York, the game tilted Tottenham's way. Goals by Robbie Keane in the 62nd minute and Gareth Bale 10 minutes later turned a Red Bulls lead at the half into a final 20 minutes of playing catch-up.

But New York showed they could play, with forward Macoumba Kandji going the full 90 minutes and consistently posing problems for the visitors’ back line. Even as they tried to equalize, the Red Bulls rarely looked outclassed by Tottenham.

Henry and the Red Bulls next take on Manchester City on Sunday in their second game of the exhibition tournament. Tottenham face Portguese power Sporting Lisbon in the opener of Sunday's double-header.

Scoring Summary

NY -- Thierry Henry (Joel Lindpere) 25
TOT -- Robbie Keane 62
TOT -- Gareth Bale 72

Disciplinary Summary

NY -- Tim Ream (caution) 16

Lineups:

New York – Bouna Coundoul (Greg Sutton, 46’), Chris Albright (Jeremy Hall, 64’), Roy Miller, Carlos Mendes (Mike Petke, 46’), Tim Ream, Dane Richards, Seth Stammler (Conor Chinn, 77’), Joel Lindpere, Carl Robinson (Sinisa Ubiparipovic, 63’), Thierry Henry (Tony Tchani, 46’) , Mac Kandji

Tottenham – Carlo Cudicini, Gareth Bale, Verdan Corluka (Adel Taarabt, 46’) , Kyle Walker, Kyle Naughton (Andros Townsend, 46’), Alan Hutton, Jermaine Jenas, Niko Kranjcar (Danny Rose, 70’), Luka Modric (Ryan Mason, 77’), Tom Huddlestone, Robbie Keane

Attendance: 20,312