Houston announced their end-of-season roster moves on Wednesday, headlined by not picking up Herrera’s 2025 contract option.
The club-altering decision ends Herrera’s two-and-a-half-season spell in Dynamo orange, after he tallied 5g/21a in 62 matches. The 34-year-old Mexican international arrived from LaLiga giants Atlético Madrid midway through the 2022 campaign, kickstarting a new era.
“There’s not a world where he returns. But he was a signing who, at the time, was perfect for our club, a club that had made the playoffs once in eight years,” general manager Pat Onstad explained to MLSsoccer.com.
“He helped get us back there two consecutive years and won an Open Cup for us, had a fantastic year in ’23. But by the same token, he’d probably be the first to tell you this year has been disappointing for him and his standard.”
New direction
That disappointment, in Onstad’s view, came down to availability. The two-time MLS All-Star posted 4g/17a in 30 matches last year, then didn’t debut in 2024 until mid-April after getting injured in preseason.
“The way Héctor performed in ’23, he was an MLS Best XI guy and on some ballots, he was worthy of the MVP discussion,” Onstad said. “He performed at that level. Unfortunately, he had an injury that didn’t help him start the season correctly and he never really fully got back to that level again.
“The way we had it set up, there was an option this year he could have attained himself with performance and he didn’t hit that,” Onstad continued. “It was a tough decision; not an easy one, that’s for sure, and one we went back and forth on. But I think at this stage we have a good core, we’re excited about our core coming back and we want to get a little bit younger and then go after it.”
What now?
Naturally, the question becomes where Houston go from here. Herrera occupied a Designated Player roster spot, wore the captain’s armband and was the Dynamo’s midfield engine, propelling their resurgence under head coach Ben Olsen.
Should Dynamo fans expect another high-profile signing, one who complements DP striker Ezequiel Ponce? At the very least, they’re pursuing a midfielder and exploring…
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