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.
