MLS captain sent off from playoff game for spitting at referee
Hector Herrera definitely did not have his finest moment on Sunday night.
The Houston Dynamo midfielder Herrera was playing for his team in a must-win MLS Cup playoff match against the Seattle Sounders. Seattle was up 1-0 in their best-of-three series, meaning that the Dynamo needed to win to keep their season alive.
With the score level at 0-0 in the 65th minute, Herrera, who also serves as the captain of the Dynamo, was issued a yellow card for a very late challenge on Seattle’s Jackson Ragen. Herrera didn’t agree with the decision and made his displeasure known … by spitting at the referee.
Here is the video (which shows Herrera aiming his spit at the feet of the ref).
I'm sorry, Hector Herrera spit at the *referee* to get sent off in a must-win home playoff game?
Inexcusable behavior. Absolutely shocking from the Houston Dynamo's star. pic.twitter.com/9uzyQRK5Id
— Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) November 4, 2024
Take a look at a wider angle of the incident.
Hector Herrera spitting on ref pic.twitter.com/lqEDGiLnxa
— MLS Moves (@MLSMoves) November 4, 2024
The referee did not quite seem to realize what had happened at first. But VAR (the video assistant referee) recommended a check, and Herrera was promptly issued a red card and sent off upon a video review of the incident.
As a result of Herrera’s red card, the Dynamo had to play out the remainder of the match with just 10 men. That proved to be costly as they conceded a shorthanded goal to the Sounders in the 87th minute. While the Dynamo did manage to equalize with a goal of their own in stoppage time, they ultimately lost on penalty kicks 7-6, thus ending their season.
Final. pic.twitter.com/ytmickSDGd
— Houston Dynamo FC – x (@HoustonDynamo) November 4, 2024
The 34-year-old Herrera joined the Dynamo in 2022 after previously playing for Atletico Madrid in Spain. He is also a veteran of the Mexican national team with 105 international caps and 10 total goals, including appearances for Mexico in multiple World Cups. But in Sunday’s match, Herrera looked like a raw rookie out there with that lapse of judgment in a must-win playoff game. Spitting at referees is usually something that is only reserved for rowdy fans, but this time around, it was a team captain that was shockingly doing it.
