Héctor Herrera: “The arrival of Messi and Suárez make MLS more competitive”

For Mexican midfielder, captain, and star of the Houston Dynamo, Héctor Herrera, the arrival of world-class figures such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and now Luis Suárez signifies that the MLS will become more competitive, and its growth will accelerate.

At Major League Soccer’s Media Day, ‘HH’ made it clear that he is interested in wearing the green of Mexico once again, especially since the team will have an increased number of games in the United States. He also spoke about the footballing differences that exist with the other leagues where he has played.

Liga MX ‘not at the same level now’

“It is very difficult to compare. They make a lot of comparisons with Liga MX. I have not played in Liga MX for many years, and it is not at the same level now as it was when I played there,” he commented on the constant comparison between MLS and his native top division.

Regarding the difference between the MLS and the European leagues in which he played, ‘HH’ made it clear that soccer in the United States is still below the level of play in Europe, but he believes that, with the transfer movements that are being made, it will become much more competitive.

“With the European leagues, not to diminish MLS, but, of course, they are a few steps above us. However, I have no doubt that the growth of this league is happening very fast, mainly with the additions that have been made in recent months. The arrival of Lionel Messi and others, and today, the arrival of Luis Suarez, makes the league more competitive and adds much more quality. Beyond the fact that it is physically very strong, it’s also technically better. The league is going to be highly competitive,” he added.

Herrera questioned Houston move

Herrera faced challenging times upon arriving in Houston, and it turned out to be a season that required a considerable amount of adaptation time. The team did not perform or compete as they had in the previous season, meaning that when they secured the US Open Cup, Herrera, as he confessed, enjoyed it like no other win before in his career.

“When we finished last season and found ourselves at the bottom, I did a bit of analysis. As a family, we pondered the question of ‘how did we end up here?,’ because we were used to being at teams that competed for the league, used to winning,” he said.

“When we won the Open Cup, I think it was one of the trophies I’ve enjoyed the most in my career. So much so that my wife told me at the end: ‘I’ve never seen you enjoy a trophy as much as you are right now. You won a trophy at the elite level of football, and you never enjoyed it like that’ I think it was because of that burden or the significant challenge of winning something,” he concluded.