Pat Onstad: Héctor Herrera signing “a turning point” in the franchise

HOUSTON – It’s official. Héctor Herrera — the Mexican national team captain — will don the Houston Dynamo colors as its latest designated player.

On Wednesday, the Dynamo announced the signing of Herrera, a current Atletico Madrid midfielder, to a pre-contract through the 2024 season. Herrera, 31, will join the Bayou City club in the summer after his contract in Spain’s La Liga runs out.

The signing is a marquee one for a club fighting for relevancy in Major League Soccer, a league that has grown by leaps and bounds since Houston’s back-to-back MLS Cup wins in 2006 and 2007. La Naranja has been playing catch-up ever since.

Biggest signing in club history

Herrera is undoubtedly the biggest signing in the club’s history and signals to its fans, and MLS, that Houston, the long-talked-about sleeping giant — is waking from its slumber.

Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad — the goalkeeper who backstopped those championship-winning Dynamo teams, called the Herrera signing a turning point in the franchise.

“I think we put a marker down in the professional sports scene here, and we believe this is going to transform our organization again and put us back up at the top and make us compete for championships. That’s what we’re trying to do,” Onstad said.

“He’s a guy that’s won everywhere he’s played, whether it’s with the National Team, Porto, Madrid. He’s a fantastic player, a great human being, a guy that ticks every single box, as I’ve talked about before. For us, this is a massive, massive signing for us.”

Indeed Herrera has won everywhere he’s played. The Tijuana, Baja California native has won domestic titles in Spain and Portugal and has the most Champion League appearances, 55, of any Mexican player.

Segals opens up the checkbook

Onstad told media Wednesday that Herrera’s camp approached the Dynamo to inquire about their interest in the 6’1 midfielder. The mutual interest soon blossomed into talks, then an offer. But the asking price was beyond reach. Onstad and Houston Dynamo majority owner Ted Segal had agreed on a budget for offseason spending. Herrera’s was over the limit.

When Onstad returned to Segal to inform him that Herrera would cost more, the new Dynamo owner didn’t blink.

Furthermore, he knew who Herrera was, and the impact a player of his caliber and background could have on and off the pitch for the club.

“We’re very fortunate that Ted is giving us this opportunity to go after a player of this caliber,” Onstad said. “So if it wasn’t for Ted [Segal] at this point, I don’t know if this would have got over the line, but it’s a fantastic opportunity for everybody.”

On the pitch

Herrera is a box-to-box midfielder. The kind of player that can spread passes and move the ball forward while also being a defensive stopper. He’s the kind of player that could have assisted the Dynamo in their nil-nil draw against Real Salt Lake.

“I think we had possession in the game against Salt Lake, and we transformed that possession into goal-scoring opportunities. I think Héctor (Herrera), the way that he plays, he has that creativity. He has the final pass or final touch that can make us a little more creative in the final third,” Dynamo head coach Paulo Nagamura said.

“So, absolutely, I think he’s going to have a huge impact when he comes in.”

The Houston Dynamo will be a more potent and more dangerous team with Herrera on the pitch. But that’s months away. Meanwhile, the Dynamo will have to hold the fort until the reinforcement arrives.

While Houston fans bide their team to see Herrera in the club’s new Bayou City kit, one thing is for certain — these aren’t the Houston Dynamo of yesteryear.