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Houston Dynamo FC welcomed Mexican international soccer star Hector Herrera to the team and the city on Friday, according to a report from Houston ABC affiliate KTRK.
“Part of our city, part of our family,” the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise said in a tweet. “Welcome to PNC Stadium, Héctor.”
KTRK reported that numbers of Dynamo fans gathered at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to welcome the 32-year-old Herrera, the highly-decorated captain of Mexico's mens soccer team.
The Dynamo inked Herrera in March while the latter was competing with Atlético de Madrid.
One fan told the station that the acquisition of Herrera is a milestone move for the club.
"This is our biggest signing we've ever had,” Jonathan Brown said, according to KTRK.
The Dynamo introduced Herrera at a press conference, per a team-issued news release.
“Hector is hard-working,” owner Ted Segal said, according to the release. “Has made his team a winner at every post in his career, and an intense competitor for his clubs and country, who holds himself and his teammates to a high standard. And that last bit of the description is especially important.”
According to Herrera, whose known to Spanish-speaking fans as “HH” or “a-che a-che,” the timing of his arrival in the Bayou City couldn’t be any more perfect.
“I believe that I have arrived at my best moment, where I can still give my best, where I can help the team to reach the top, to win and I think the No. 1 thing that motivated me to make this decision, to come to this great club, is the ambition,” he said, per the release.
Houston Daily reported in March that the native of Tijuana, Baja California, led Mexico, also known as El Tri, to a gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012 and a 2015 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup victory, with appearances at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups in between.
The Dynamo said that Herrera will make his MLB debut on Saturday in a home game against Lone Star rival FC Dallas.