HARRISON, N.J. — If retirement is near for Thierry Henry — and he is not yet saying it is — he will follow Derek Jeter as the next great athlete to leave New York, minus the season-long goodbyes and parting gifts.

Even as assessments of his career edge toward farewell, and he is celebrated as one of the great international strikers of his generation and perhaps the most skilled player ever in Major League Soccer, Henry, 37, deflects individual praise for collective ambition.

“I can’t talk about it,” Henry said Friday of his future as the Red Bulls prepared to travel to D.C. United for Saturday’s second leg of an Eastern Conference semifinal, holding a 2-0 goal advantage. “It’s playoff time. The focus should be on the team and nothing else.”

While David Beckham brought glamour and celebrity to M.L.S. and helped the L.A. Galaxy win two titles, Henry brought something equally valuable: sporting credibility at a crucial period of expansion, new stadiums and enhanced television and multiplatform media deals.