Hector Herrera respectful of former club as Houston Dynamo reignite rivalry with Pachuca

Hector Herrera was on the edge of his seat waiting to see if Houston Dynamo FC would advance in the Leagues Cup and who the next opponent would be, based on the result between Orlando City and Santos Laguna on Saturday.

A draw of three goals or more, followed by a Santos win on penalty kicks, was the only scenario that would mean elimination for Herrera and his teammates but, thanks to a 7th minute of stoppage time save from Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, disaster was avoided. Herrera was glad with the result but also with who his team's next opponent would be.

"I was crossing my fingers to face Pachuca," said Herrera. "Not because I'm afraid of Miami, but because of the special match it means to me. I believe that when you want to win, whoever it is is fine. First, we crossed our fingers to not go out, because the impossible was happening. So, the important thing was to go through and whoever we played, it doesn't matter. For me, especially, I wanted Pachuca for the match it is, but the other one would have been very nice too." 

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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami was the only other potential opponent, which the Dynamo would have faced in Fort Lauderdale if they won their group. Houston, of course, still has an opportunity to face the Herons in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, if both sides win in the semifinals later this month.

The Leagues Cup allows for MLS vs. Liga MX encounters that would otherwise be possible only through international friendlies or Concacaf club tournaments, which is where the Dynamo and Pachuca rivalry started in 2007. Herrera is aware of the history of the two clubs and this will be the first of these encounters that he will participate in after just missing out on the last one back which happened prior to the start of his professional career. 

'My heart will always be Tuzo'

Hector Herrera grew up in Rosarito, Baja California, over 2,800 kilometers (around 1,700 miles) from the city of Pachuca. A scout by the name of Ángel "Coca" González is credited with first laying eyes on the player during a tournament in nearby Tijuana.

From there, Herrera moved in chase of a dream that became a reality in 2011 when head coach Efrain Flores gave him his league debut. A call-up to the Mexico men's national team came soon after and, eventually, a move to Europe with Porto.

"I am very happy to be able to face Pachuca, which was the team that gave me the opportunity and made me grow as a person, as a player, " said Herrera. "I'm proud to be able to face them and, obviously, I want to beat them. You always play to win, but well, it will be a pleasure to face them and to be able to greet many people who helped me and who saw me grow in all aspects.

"I owe everything to Pachuca for what I am as a person, as a player, and, obviously, my heart will always be Tuzo because it was in the team that I grew up," he added. "I can't name everyone, but the staff since I was in Second Division, in First Division, in Under 20, all the coaches I had are the ones who created me as a person, who created me as a player."

Pachuca is revered as one of the best Liga MX academies in recent years. They are also celebrated for their willingness to allow players to emigrate to Europe, as they did with Herrera for a reported €8m fee, instead of retaining the player and gambling on a higher fee down the road.

It only took two seasons in the Mexican first division for Herrera to showcase his talents on a global scale, helping Mexico to a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. Herrera never got to win a trophy with the Tuzos and has said that if he were to return to the Mexican first division, it would be with Pachuca who he would play for.

When asked if he would celebrate a goal against his former club, Herrera was quick to shut it down. He defended his posture as a professional player and his desire to win on the field but going the extra step to revel in the misery of the club that forged him would feel 'disrespectful.' 

"Today I am with Houston," said Herrera. "I defend their jersey and as I said, I am a professional and I want to win. I have a lot of respect for [Pachuca], a lot of affection, they are my team, but on the field I forget everything."

Winning over the Mexicans in Houston

The same love that Hector Herrera shares for Pachuca is the love that Mexican fans in Houston have for their clubs. It is that bond that the Dynamo compete with as the Dynamo midfielder puts it.

"Because it is the team of all their lives," Herrera said. "We Mexicans are like that, we are very loving towards our team, they give their lives for them, they cry for them. And I think that the people that are over here, talking about Hispanics or Mexicans, connect with America, with Chivas, with Monterrey. 

"There are a lot of people here from Monterrey, from Tigres. I have many friends here who are from Monterrey, Tigres, and they prefer to stay at home to watch Monterrey or Tigres, if they play at the same time, than to go support us," Herrera added. "Because they grew up with those teams, their whole family is from those teams and it is a Mexican tradition. That's why I think it's hard for them to connect a little bit with the teams in their city, in MLS. But I think that little by little, they will never stop being fans of Mexican teams, but they can have a team in MLS, I think, and even more so if you have it in your city."

Herrera recently asked why more fans aren't turning out for Houston Dynamo matches when the same soccer public packs the larger NRG Stadium for international club and country encounters. Head Coach Ben Olsen brought up the same concerns in his presser ahead of the Pachuca match and General Manager Pat Onstad has echoed the same sentiments in a recent radio interview.

Onstad, of course, was part of those early Dynamo teams that faced a Pachuca side considered the team of the decade in Mexico for their conquest domestically and internationally by becoming the first Mexican team to win the CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana. Because of how well they fared against the Tuzos, the Dynamo earned the respect of the local soccer fans that perhaps initially attended Concacaf and SuperLiga match to support the visitors.

Could this Dynamo spur the same effect?

"Let's hope so," said Herrera. "Mexican teams have a lot of fans all over the United States. And we saw it the other day, the other day with Santos, they had a lot of people in the stadium, more than the people who are here in Houston. And well, let's hope that after, I think, we have played better than them, they will get a little bit fond of Dynamo and they will support us as well."

'Alive in all competitions'

A full season for Hector Herrera and a first season for head coach Ben Olsen currently have the Dynamo in ninth place in the Western Conference. They are "in the mix" while being one of four MLS teams still alive in the Leagues Cup, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup hunt.

When asked about how close this team is to winning at least one of those championships, Herrera was careful to promise anything but reiterated that titles were a reason for his move to Houston. They are five wins away from lifting the Leagues Cup and a young Pachuca side, one that has been stripped of most of its Apertura 2022 championship-winning stars, has the Dynamo favored on Wednesday night.

"I think that is the motivation or the end for which we always work," said Herrera. "It is true that we are alive in all competitions, but there is still a long way to go. In the Open Cup, it is true that we are a little closer, but it is not easy. The ideal or the dream is to win all three, but well, let's hope we can win one and I think that's what we are here for and what I came here for. I said it when I arrived, that I came to win things and if it happens quickly in my first full year, it would be fabulous."

"Personally, I am motivated to win, whether there is rivalry or not," he said of the Dynamo vs. Pachuca element. "I go out every game wanting to win. I know about the rivalry between Dynamo and Pachuca because during those years I was on the other side. And well, the friends I have now in Houston, who also told me about that rivalry when they Pachuca came here.It's good. I believe that rivalry should always exist in every game, because we all want to win, and that is what mainly motivates me."