Red Bulls Quickly Change the Mood at Home Jim Mcisaac/Getty Images for New York Red Bulls Kenny Cooper's first goal gave the Red Bulls an early 2-0 lead. HARRISON, N.J. - After a sputtering, mistake-laden start to their season in which they lost two games on the road, the Red Bulls needed a mere six minutes Sunday afternoon to turn Red Bull Arena into a nearly impregnable fortress. Thierry Henry scored in the third minute, then sent a perfect lead pass onto the foot of his front-line running mate Kenny Cooper for the game's second goal three minutes later as the Red Bulls defeated the short-handed Colorado Rapids, 4-1, before 21,024. Henry and Cooper each added goals in the second half. "The difference today was no mistakes," Henry said. It was important to get the crowd going, and you saw - it was Colorado that made the first mistake. In the opening minutes, Rapids midfielder Ross LaBauex, pressed into duty for the injured Pablo Mastroeni (concussion symptoms), hit a weak back pass toward goalkeeper Matt Pickens. Henry dashed in to intercept, cut around Drew Moor and hit a left-footed shot under Pickens for his first goal of the season. Three minutes later, Rafael Marquez, playing in his first match after serving a three-game suspension that carried over from last season's playoffs, found Henry in the middle of the field, about 40 yards from the Colorado goal. Henry quickly turned and split the defense with a perfectly weighted pass to Cooper. As Moor slid to the turf, Cooper nudged the ball to his right and then fired a right-footed shot that eluded Pickens and the diving Marvell Wynne as it rolled into the net. "I wouldn't say this was a must-win, but almost," Red Bulls Coach Hans Backe said. Confidence-wise, the players were a little shaky, I think. We were solid offensively and defensively. The defense was solidified, and it fed off the play of the newly acquired Colombian veteran Wilman Conde. Conde, in his first game since recovering from a thigh injury, used an economy of movement on the back line, but he was impressive in cutting off attacks by the Rapids and then starting breaks in the other direction, often with long, diagonal passes. "He was massive," Backe said. He's clever, and when you're a clever center back, you don't have to run that much. I didn't know about his leadership skills, but he's very strong tactically, and I think he helped everyone back there. I just hope he can stay fresh and solid, and injury-free. The Rapids (2-1), one of the more parsimonious teams in the normally frugal Major League Soccer, were playing without the veteran Mastroeni and the midfield general Jeff Larentowicz, who was serving a one-game suspension for his ejection last week in Philadelphia. Omar Cummings scored Colorado's goal, stealing the ball from Marquez in the midfield and hitting a chip from about 25 yards that looped over the head of the Red Bulls rookie goalkeeper, Ryan Meara. Last season, Marquez might have been booed by the home fans for the error. This season, he says he has rededicated himself to the club, and his effort showed, other than his miscue. "Obviously, for me, it's important to continue playing like this," Marquez, the captain of Mexico's national team, said. It's important to leave everything on the field. It was really difficult coming off last season. It's been a challenge, but I think I've prepared well. Henry scored his second goal nine minutes into the second half, on a long free kick from Conde, and Cooper notched his second from close range in the 89th minute. Red Bulls midfielder Joel Lindpere started his 57th consecutive game in M.L.S. dating to May 29, 2010. It is the second-longest active streak behind the 60 games of Vancouver's Sebastien Le Toux, but Le Toux also played for Seattle and Philadelphia during his streak. ... Striker Juan Agudelo, who tore the meniscus in his left knee playing for the United States under-23 national team against Cuba last Thursday, was examined by the Red Bulls" medical staff Sunday. He said that he would have surgery Monday and that he expected to miss four to six weeks.