Thierry Henry may not be the same player as his young self who once dominated the English Premier League at Arsenal roughly ten years ago, but he sure looked like his old self the other day versus Toronto FC, when he roughed up their defense with three fine assists and one world class goal that earned him the MLS Player of the Week award for the fifth time this season.  It was a performance that echoed his stellar career as a brilliant striker.

After Henry and the New York Red Bulls went down to a fantastic Ryan Johnson long-range strike, the Frenchman took matters into his own hands and began to direct the offense in the manner that had elevated him to his famous level in England.

Only seven minutes after Johnson’s goal, Henry placed a beautiful corner kick right onto the head of Markus Holgersson who headed it cleanly into the goal for the equalizer.  Thierry Henry then began to set up great opportunities with clever passes from a variety of areas for his teammates, but it took several opportunities to finally set up a goal.

In the 27^th minute, Henry found himself with the ball in a great opportunity.  His presence drew in both the last defender and the goalkeeper who looked to block the ball.  In elite fashion, he passed the ball across the empty goal to fellow Red Bull, Kenny Cooper, who finished the easiest goal of his life.  It was a bold pass that only someone of his talent and composure would try.  Most strikers would have attempted to shoot from his angle, but Henry had the awareness to pick out the wide-open Cooper for the sure finish instead of giving the goalie a chance to make a save.

Henry then killed the game off in the 88^th minute when he found possession within the penalty box, and this time lured in three defenders and the goalie before again picking out Cooper and slotting him a pass for the second easiest goal of his career.

The Henry show wasn’t over yet though.  Late in stoppage time he got on the end of a long pass and lobbed the ball over the goalie from 30 yards out to cap off a great evening with an incredible finish.  Few players have the awareness and abilities of Thierry Henry, and this performance is another realization of the pure class and genius that encompasses the player with a soccer ball at his feet.  Take a look at the highlights here.

Having world-class talent like Thierry Henry on display at MLS clubs has been providing great entertainment for American fans throughout the country.  The more of these types of players that this league can bring in to the country, the better and more fun these games will become!