HOUSTON – There are many pieces to the puzzle in this latest iteration of the Houston Dynamo rebuild. Some pieces are more significant and fill a larger gap than others, but all are important as the Dynamo aimed to return the club to prominence.
Hector Herrera, the longtime Mexican National Team member, is among the big pieces of the puzzle. His signing last season broke the Dynamo’s transfer record fee, making him the most expensive signing in club history.
Herrera was signed in the summer of 2022 but, due to injuries, only managed to participate in 10 games. Even when El Zorro was on the pitch, he wasn’t the player that fans expected. Herrera was adjusting to a new league and, at times, seemed like a shadow of the midfielder that played for FC Porto, Atlético Madrid, and participated in numerous Champions League matches.
However, the start of the 2023 season has shown Dynamo fans, and MLS, that Herrera is more than capable of still playing at that level.
And while it’s only been three performances, HH has shown on the pitch that he’s all in on this Dynamo project rebuild and fully engaged.
In the third game of the season, against Austin FC, Herrera bossed the midfield and took a team-high five shots on goal, marking it only the second time he’s taken that many shots on goal. He would be rewarded for his effort with his first Dynamo goal to secure three points for the Bayou City club.
El Zorro led the Dynamo in passes and was second on the team in distance covered.
Herrera’s performance garnered him a well-deserved Man of the Match accolade. After the match, Herrera was all smiles. He walked the pitch at Shell Stadium, applauded the fans, waved to them, and even took a photo with Hustle Town supporters group members.
“I consider these [fans] my people. I owed this goal to them, to me. I hope it’s the first of many,” Herrera said after the game. “I just want to say thank you to the fans for everything they have given my family and me since we arrived.”
What’s led to Herrera’s strong start this season?
“He’s just consistent both on the offensive game and dictating the game and our rhythm,” Olsen said after Tuesday’s team’s training session. “But also, he does a lot of little things on the defensive end that we need him to make if we’re going to be effective on both sides of the ball.”
Herrera isn’t a goalscorer. In fact, Saturday’s goal was his first club goal since 2019. For the 32-year-old midfielder, the goal was the cherry on top of a fantastic home opener.
“As a player, you always want to score goals and win games. But what was most important was to get the victory. And scoring a goal is even better,” Herrera said. “The people deserved it, they waited a long time.”
Jesus Acevedo Jr. is the Editor-in-Chief of The Bayoucitian. He’s an award-winning bilingual journalist from Houston, TX. A graduate of the University of Houston, he has written for the Houston Chronicle, La Voz de Houston, MLSsoccer.com, and ProSoccerUSA.
Before becoming a journalist, Jesus spent his early 20s drumming his way across Houston with two bands — Shortcomings and InsertNameHere. The memories that Jesus made as a musician were the seeds that started the idea for the comedy, Houmans: The Series.