Héctor Herrera to join Houston Dynamo

Atlético Madrid midfielder Héctor Herrera will join Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo next season. The Dynamo announced his signing Wednesday morning.

Herrera’s Atlético contract expires this summer, and despite his excellent form recently, the longtime Mexico international was unlikely to receive a new deal. As such, Herrera has agreed a contract to 2025 with Houston, according to TUDN reporter Luis Omar Tapia.

Fabrizio Romano later confirmed this exclusive on his own Twitter account, saying Herrera will finish up the season with Atleti before moving across the Atlantic.

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

Herrera joined Atlético on a free transfer from Porto in 2019, but injuries shut him down during a promising debut season in Spain. Once healthy, his unfortunate struggles during big games, particularly in the Champions League, saw Diego Simeone routinely select other options in the center of the park — even though Herrera has long been one of Atleti’s craftiest passers.

In all, Herrera has scored one goal and laid on four assists across 71 appearances in all competitions for Atlético — but he has started only 12 times in the past two league campaigns. The 31-year-old has been central to the Rojiblancos’ resurgence in the last 10 days, starting and playing well in the wins over Osasuna and Celta Vigo as well as the 1-1 draw with Manchester United. But this brief return to prominence was not enough to convince player or club to work out a fresh contract.

The Dynamo team Herrera is joining was a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinalist as recently as 2019, but has finished at the bottom of MLS’s Western Conference the past two years. Houston has made the MLS Cup playoffs only once since 2014.