Upon the news this week that Hector Herrera would be joining the Houston Dynamo, I texted my friend and colleague Victor Araiza with a pejorative, “You have a player people care about now!” To be clear, I don’t in my heart of hearts believe that — current Dynamo players like Fafa Picault, Darwin Quintero, and Tim Parker have compelling stories and are engaging to watch in matches.
And the Dynamo have had beloved players through its history, starting with Brian Ching as part of the crew that migrated from the Bay Area to deliver Houston its two MLS Cup wins in 2006 and 2007.
But I expect Herrera’s arrival this summer — transforming H-Town into Hache Hache-Town, if you will — to create a whole new level of buzz around a franchise that desperately needs it.
Take, for instance, this week’s episode of Extratime, the podcast hosted by MLS stalwarts Andrew Wiebe, David Gass, and Matthew Doyle. They spent 82 minutes on storylines from around the league after Week 1 of the 2022 MLS season. They talked about Chicharito’s game-winning goal against the defending MLS Champions, Columbus’ possible bounce-back year following a 4-0 home opener win, the Revs and Timbers’ fierce 2-2 battle, and Austin’s 5-0 dismantling of an FC Cincinnati franchise that needs a big hug. They spent at least a couple of minutes on every match, save one.
And who could blame them for not wanting to delve into Houston Dynamo 0, Real Salt Lake 0? At a glance from the outside, that looks like a punchless scoreline from two teams that don’t capture league-wide imagination — even with Houston looking to remake itself in the offseason with a new coach and GM, and even with RSL having its lovable underdog (or unlovable underdog, factoring in David Ochoa) from last year’s playoffs.
Yes, there was a cursory mention of Griffin Dorsey, but it was the last match mentioned in the podcast, and it felt very kids’ table. For a fan base who endured a 19-match winless streak last year that included two scoreless draws, coming right out of the gate with another scoreless draw does not exactly inspire confidence and excitement.
So you can imagine the enthusiasm of new general manager Pat Onstad, who heralded Herrera as a Wayne Gretzky-type figure who would transform the club. Check out this quote, as reported by Araiza:
"It's the biggest signing in our club history and I don't think there's anyone that's close. It's a turning point, I think, in the franchise. We put a marker down in the professional sports scene here and we believe that this is going to transform our organization again, and put us back at the top and make us compete for championships."
That’s a lot of pressure on a 31-year-old player coming to a team that’s in the midst of remaking itself and under the tutelage of a first-year MLS coach in Paulo Nagamura. But Herrera’s resume is impressive — he’s currently a contributor to the reigning champs of La Liga, he’s a two-time World Cup participant with El Tri (and, barring disaster, destined to make a third appearance in November), and instantly becomes the most recognizable player on the Dynamo even though he’s still four months from arrival.
Onstad and Nagamura talked about his projected impact on the pitch and what they expect him to do for the attack and for the overall mentality of the club. But I’m actually more curious to see what he’ll do for the orange seats ringing the pitch at PNC Stadium.
I’ve long thought Houston’s downtown stadium should attract more fans, even with a team that couldn’t seem to buy a win last year. Certainly a name Mexican national player should bring in some of the fans who have no trouble finding the stadium when a Liga MX team is in town. He’ll be coming at a time of year when Houston and its soccer team are typically in a summer swoon, providing a potential boost from those who are curious to see how his game will translate as well as for the El Tri fans you can certainly find sprinkled here and there throughout the Houston metro area.
And while The Striker Texas will always talk about the Dynamo and give you match-by-match storylines, I expect Herrera’s arrival will elevate the Dynamo in the national conversation — they certainly won’t be a last quick afterthought on Extratime or for other journalists covering MLS.
