The former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry has signed for the NY Red Bulls from Barcelona FC. For any soccer fans out there this is great news for American soccer to have a big name player and even better for NYC. Check out some highlights from the man who should do it big in NY and one of my personal all time favorite players.

The first time I heard about MLS soccer player Andy Williams was about three years back, when I read about him in a Money Magazine article on personal finances in sports. It was an interesting article, outlining the finances of a mid-level athlete in a then-fledgling league. I don’t really follow the MLS like that so I didn’t hear about him again until today, when I logged onto NYTimes.com.

It turns out that his wife, Marcia, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. This article in today’s New York Times details their ordeal.

To help, you can make a donation to Soccer Unites Utah, an charitable foundation started by a Real Salt Lake (Williams’ team) fan, which is trying to raise awareness about the need for bone-marrow donors and raise money to pay for Marcia’s medical expenses that are not covered by insurance.

Props to the young Haitian-American about to do his thing in La Liga. The future for soccer in the US is looking good when players make moves out of the MLS and onto the international scene.

Remember those three Cuban national soccer team defectors from a few months back?

Well it turns out things haven’t exactly gone according to plan for them, according to this article in the New York Times. After a couple of months filled with tryouts, no MLS team has picked any of the players up, as yet. Thankfully, the Cuban (and soccer) community has got their back:

For now, they are relying on the largess of a network that runs through Cuban and soccer communities in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. They have received food, clothing, transportation, a cellphone and lodging. They also have the opportunity to stay in shape by playing several semiprofessional games each week. They earn $40 to $50 each per game, which Miranda said was about five times their monthly salary at the national soccer academy in Cuba.

“The Cuban community is very tight knit and very good at taking care of their own people,” said Alicia Molina, a lawyer for the nonprofit International Institute of Los Angeles who is representing the players in their applications for work permits. “This is not a typical experience of an immigrant, but it is typical of a Cuban.”

That final sentiment is one that I’m sure many Caribbean immigrants can relate to, athletes or not. Check out the full article here.