Former Atletico Madrid star Hector Herrera receives straight red card for spitting at referee in MLS playoff clash for Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo midfielder Hector Herrera was shown a straight red during the MLS Playoffs game against Seattle Sounders for spitting at the referee. The incident occurred at the Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday, November 3.
With the game tied at 0-0, Herrera was shown a yellow card by referee Armando Villarreal in the 65th minute. However, the 34-year-old was least pleased with the decision.
In a moment of madness, he walked past the referee, turned around, and spat at his back. VAR reviewed the incident and Villarreal was asked to walk to the pitchside monitor.
After viewing replays of the incident, the referee decided to hand Hector Herrera a straight red. The match ultimately ended 1-1, but the Sounders progressed to the playoff semifinals by winning 7-6 on penalty shootouts.
The MLS has been quite strict while dealing with spitting offenses so far. Last month, Real Salt Lake's Brayan Vera was fined and suspended by the league due to a similar incident against Minnesota United defender Michael Boxall.
Vera was suspended for two additional games on top of the red card. Should Herrera receive a similar suspension, he may miss the start of the MLS 2025 campaign. Houston Dynamo's season ended following the defeat to Seattle Sounders.
When did Hector Herrera arrive in the MLS?
Hector Herrera first caught the eye with Porto, before earning a move to Atletico Madrid in 2019. He spent three seasons at the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, registering 78 appearances and scoring just one goal.
The Mexican was part of the Los Rojiblancos team that won the LaLiga title in the 2020-21 season. However, Herrera was eventually deemed surplus to requirements at the club and left in the summer of 2022 to join MLS side Houston Dynamo.
He arrived as a designated player and has since registered eight goals and 22 assists from 81 appearances across competitions for El Naranja. The Mexican has scored two goals and set up five more from 27 games this season.
Hector Herrera's contract with the Texas side expires at the end of this year. The club have the option of an additional year, but the recent incident could force them to rethink their decision.
Interestingly, Houston Dynamo were also reduced to 10 men in game one of MLS Playoffs Round One against Seattle Sounders after Panama international Adalberto Carrasquilla received his marching orders for violent conduct.