Hector Herrera’s star turn has Dynamo climbing the MLS table

(image via Houston Dynamo FC)

We are just a few weeks away from one year since the arrival of Hector Herrera in Houston. Herrera’s signing with the Bayou City team will be ingrained in Houston’s soccer history forever, purely on it being something that many fans would have never dreamt of or expected.

Hector’s first season with the Dynamo wasn’t very pleasant. The team was struggling before his arrival, trying to find an identity, with a squad that just couldn’t find their chemistry. A few days ago, Hector Herrera went into detail on how he and his wife found themselves questioning if it had been the right decision to come to Houston. He knew the project was a difficult task, but last season, he found it to be much tougher than he expected.

However, Hector mentioned that he made sure to keep his eyes on the grand scheme of the project, knowing that with the right players bought into the objectives that they would be successful next season and beyond as they build wind beneath their wings. There was a lot of pressure put on Hector in 2022. He was made the focal point of the Houston Dynamo, while juggling a hamstring injury and his aspirations to be fully healthy to make the 2022 World Cup. It was obvious that trying to be healthy for Qatar become a priority with the Dynamo’s inconsistency and being eliminated from making the playoffs a month before the end of the 2022 regular season.

Herrera was by far the best player on the field when he played last season, but he was asked to do too much at times. He had to be a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, and a creative attacking midfielder all in the same game for 90 minutes. Fatigue and his muscle injury was not helping the over 30-year-old Mexican international. Questioning why he had decided to be part of this project had to keep him up at night.

In 2023, Herrera was able to be apart of a full preseason and get to know his teammates. He quickly built chemistry with new additions Artur and Amine Bassi. Both players have been critical for Houston’s success this season and for Herrera to once again be a star player. Artur is the perfect shield that helps recover the ball from opponents’ attacks, while Bassi has become a creative outlet that Hector can find closer to the final third, creating dangerous goal scoring opportunities.

Herrera can do a lot of what was asked from him last year well but this season he has been given the freedom to focus more on the buildup play. Herrera is one of the best midfielders in Major League Soccer this season and currently has Houston high up in the Western Conference table, dreaming of a playoff berth. There are plenty of games left and things will certainly shake up by the end of it, but if Hector continues to play with this form, it will yield good results for the Dynamo.

Below are Hector Herrera’s scouting report from his time last year with the Dynamo and his report currently with the team to further illustrate the difference he has made.