Rafael Márquez, right, and Mexico were eliminated in the second round of the World Cup.
The Red Bulls' second designated player, Thierry Henry, was scheduled to make his debut in Major League Soccer on Saturday night in Houston while the man who is expected to soon become the club's third high-priced import, Rafael Márquez, was released from his contract with Barcelona earlier in the day.
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"Barcelona and Rafa Márquez have agreed to rescind, by mutual consent, the contract that tied the two parties together until June 30, 2012," Barcelona said on its Web site Saturday.
Márquez, 31, the longtime captain of Mexico's national team, had played for the Spanish champions since the 2003-4 season. Normally a central defender, Márquez could also play as a defensive midfielder.
The impending acquisition of Márquez has been a hot topic around the Red Bulls (8-6-2, 26 points) since the moment Henry joined the club, also from Barcelona, in mid-July. On his Twitter feed, John Sutcliffe of ESPN said that Márquez will sign a four-year contract worth $25 million.
"It's been going on for some time.," Red Bulls General Manager Erik Soler told The Record of Hackensack, N.J., after Friday's training session and before the team departed for Texas for the match against the Dynamo (5-8-4, 19 points). "When we get to the final announcement, everybody will understand that we're going to be happy. It's going to be a good signing."
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SOURCE: The New York Times
