Things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Hector Herrera and the Houston Dynamo. After the July arrival of the star Mexico midfielder as arguably the club’s biggest signing ever, the Dynamo has since plummeted in the Major League Soccer‘s Western Conference standings, officially eliminated from contention for MLS Cup playoffs for the fifth season in a row.
With their current season all but over and Herrera recovering from a recent injury, Houston and their star player must now look towards rebuilding for 2023. They will do it with a new coach following the dismissal of Paulo Nagamura last week. But to be fair to Herrera, he might have seen these struggles coming.
“It’s something that I anticipated, that it wasn’t going to be easy at all,” the 32-year-old Mexican midfielder told ESPN about his first few months with Houston.
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As opposed to joining a powerhouse MLS team, Herrera instead opted for a work-in-progress club earlier this year after signing a contract through 2024, with an option for 2025. The two-time MLS Cup champions have not made the playoffs since 2017, which is why Houston was an interesting challenge for the El Tri star who was earning UEFA Champions League minutes with Atletico Madrid just six months ago.
“It isn’t the most high-profile team or team that has the best players in MLS,” Herrera said, “[but] if we have the opportunity to do great things, win trophies…I think that will have more merit than arriving in a team that is complete and full of stars, who fights for the league title every year.
“That is what also attracted me [to Houston], to be able to help.”
