HOUSTON – Hector Herrera wasted no time in laying out his ambitions for his time at Houston Dynamo FC. He wants to win trophies.
A league champion at his two previous clubs, Porto and Atletico de Madrid, the Mexican national team midfielder wants to do the same in Major League Soccer. Presented during his first day under contract, everything he said had to be music to the ears of anyone around the Houston club.
"I'm here to win. To win titles," Herrera said in his opening statement to media at PNC Stadium. "I think I've come at my best moment. Where I can still give my best. Where I can help the team to get to the top which is to win and. And I think that's the number one thing that motivated me to make this decision to come to this great club."
"To win, win and win," he added when asked about his aspirations.
Herrera signed a pre-contract with the Dynamo back in February. His current contract at historic La Liga club Atletico Madrid ended on June 30.
The midfielder took part in his first training with the team on Friday morning. He is not eligible to debut until the summer registration period opens on July 7, making his first possible match on July 9 against FC Dallas, but he's ready for his MLS debut.
"I feel in my best shape, in my greatest maturity," he responded when asked about I think when you reach a certain age you feel mature, you feel, you trust, you trust yourself fully in what you do and you don't need anyone to come and tell you that you are doing well or you are doing badly. You're self-critical, you know, when you're doing it right, you know when you're doing it wrong."
At 32-year-old, Herrera arrives near the prime of his playing career. He will be regarded as one of the top midfielders throughout the 28-team league. In a year when he'll be, barring injury, one of Mexico's stars at the FIFA World Cup, Mexican fans are questioning why he chose MLS over leagues or clubs regarded to be more demanding.
So why make this decision?
"Both me and my family believe that we have made the best decision because we have been offered a challenge, a project that both me and my family, my employer, who are the people who make the decisions, made us very excited," he said. "I think that at the moment I can offer the best of me for this project and not in a few years, as maybe you think, that I can no longer give the best of me on the field."
THE STRIKER TEXAS
L to R: Houston Dynamo head coach Paulo Nagamura, majority owner Ted Segal, midfielder Hector Herrera, general manager Pat Onstad.
"People may be surprised by the decision I made. If I had stayed at Atletico Madrid, it would have surprised them too, because I didn't play so much," he added. "In life, in soccer, in work, you have to make decisions. Me, my family, my employer, we have made the best decision and we are very happy with that."
So where will he play? Will he be a deeper-lying midfielder or will he be more of a box-to-box? How involved will he be in the attack? Herrera says he's open to everything.
"I have told [Dynamo head coach Paulo Nagamura] about it. I am open to what he asks me. Where he thinks I can play. Where he thinks I can help the team the most," Herrera said.
General Manager Pat Onstad was mentioned as a key figure in convincing El Zorro (The Fox) to come to Houston. Perhaps it was a deal meant to be as Herrera shares a nickname with the Dynamo mascot.
Of course, feeling closer to home with a large Mexican population had to play into things as well. The reception of the fans, especially those that welcomed him at the airport on Wednesday, have warmed the heart of the newest Dynamo signing and he expressed his desire to pay that back when he finally sees the field.
"I think the Mexican fans have always made us feel at home," Herrera mentioned, alluding to his visits to Houston with the national team. "Now that I have the opportunity to live here. To be in the team of their city. That makes me very excited. I am very proud to be able to represent the Mexican people in the United States."
"To make history as the first Mexican in the club who can win titles. That fills me with enthusiasm," Herrera added. "I think it makes the challenge bigger and I think that is what motivates me the most."