HOUSTON (Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023) – Major League Soccer announced earlier today that Houston Dynamo FC captain Héctor Herrera was named to the 2023 MLS Best XI, presented by Continental Tire.
The Mexican international has anchored the Dynamo midfield in his first full season with the club and led the team to its first postseason appearance since 2017. Herrera led the Dynamo with a club-record 17 assists during the regular season, which was second in league play. He also scored the opening goal in a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake in Aug. to reach the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final and ultimately won the title with the Dynamo. The USOC title is the team’s fourth domestic trophy and secured a spot in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
“Hector came to Houston last year to win championships and make Houston proud of our club again. This honor recognizes that he delivered on his promise: leading our club back to the MLS Playoffs for the first time since 2017 and lifting the club’s first major trophy since 2018,” Dynamo general manager, Pat Onstad said. “I am very pleased for Hector and his family for choosing Houston as their home and for everything he has done for our club and our city.”
The Dynamo captain tallied an assist on Sunday in Houston’s 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City to reach the Western Conference Final on Dec. 2. The midfielder has played every minute of the postseason, scoring the opening goal of the Best-of-3 Series against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 29.
The midfielder was named to the MLSSoccer.com’s Team of the Matchday eight times this season (Matchday 4, 15, 18, 20, 24, 29, 33 and 37) and most recently earned the honor on Oct. 9 following Houston’s 5-1 win over Colorado.
The veteran midfielder is the seventh player in team history to be named to the MLS Best XI joining Brad Davis (2011), Stuart Holden (2009), Geoff Cameron (2009), Eddie Robinson (2007), Dwayne De Rosario (2007, 2006) and Ricardo Clark (2006).
Herrera and the Dynamo return to action on Dec. 2 when they travel to Southern California to face LAFC in the Western Conference Championship at 8:30 p.m. CT. The match will stream live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and fans can also listen to the match in English on ESPN 97.5 FM or in Spanish on TUDN Radio Houston 93.3 FM.
