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Red Bulls' Thierry Henry: Rafa is the Boss

Rafa Marquez is the biggest lightning rod on the Red Bulls’ roster, and arguably the most controversial player they have. But in the wake of a stellar stint as a centerback in Sunday’s 3-2 win over archrival D.C. United, captain Thierry Henry said his friend and fellow Designated Player is misunderstood.



“Something that people didn’t mention after the game against D.C. When Rafa plays at the back, it’s another story,” Henry said today. “I know a lot of the (fans and writers) don’t like him too much, but watch the game.”



Marquez moved back from midfield to replace injured Swedish international Markus Holgersson, and had a calming influence on the back line and in possession.



“Rafa is the boss, for me. He just showed it. You’ve got to respect that,’’ said Henry. “Things happen on the field sometime, to me, a lot of players. But I invite people to watch the game that he played on Sunday. People didn’t talk a lot about it.



“He calms everyone down at the back. Always when there is chaos, he puts the ball down, passes it around on the ground instead of kicking it in the stands and give it back to D.C. In basketball, they call that a rebound. You have the ball again, and 10 times per half it’s another story than kicking it in the stands and losing it. For me, that’s a big deal.”



“We know he played there because some people were missing but I think people misunderstand Rafa sometimes. He’s a great person, he’s a competitor like I can be sometimes you can go over the edge but he’s a great guy. I hope people understand how valuable he is for us.”



Marquez is the captain of the Mexican National Team, the archrival of the U.S. But he hasn’t been able to replicate his El Tri form while with the Red Bulls, making mistakes on the field and mistakes in judgment in dealing with teammates.



The tempestuous Marquez has also picked up nine yellow cards, and served three suspensions since he last season’s playoffs. But when Henry was asked why he thought Marquez was misunderstood, he declined to guess.



“I don’t know,’’ Henry said. “I understand him. I’m not in the mind of other people, I understand him.”



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