Héctor Herrera sees the yellow card and spits in the direction of the referee in response. The incident would not have been noticed by the referee had it not been for the VAR.
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- Héctor Herrera did not agree with a yellow card after a foul and spat in the direction of the referee.
- The referee did not notice the incident, but was then asked by the VAR to look at the screen and showed Herrera the red card.
- The ex-Atlético professional apologized to his fans for the sending off on Instgram.
Héctor Herrera has had successful years in Europe. He won the championship with his former employers Porto and Atlético Madrid and moved to the United States in the summer of 2022.
The Terrier has been pulling the strings in midfield for the Houston Dynamo ever since. On Sunday evening, the 34-year-old was not in the headlines for his footballing qualities, but for a spitting action in the direction of the referee.
Without VAR, the referee would not have noticed
It is the 65th minute of the second leg of the MLS Cup play-offs between Houston and the Seattle Sounders, with Switzerland's Stefan Frei in goal. Herrera receives a yellow card for a rough tackle on his opponent - quite rightly, as replays show. The Mexican obviously sees it differently, runs past the referee, turns around and spits in the direction of the referee.
Without the VAR, Herrera would have got away with a yellow card because the referee didn't even notice the action. However, the video referee pointed out Herrera's gesture to his colleague on the pitch and asked him to come to the screen. The result: sending off.
With one man less, Houston fought their way into the penalty shoot-out, but then failed decisively at the seventh attempt against Seattle keeper Frei after converting six penalties.
Herrera apologizes to the fans
For Herrera and Co., the MLS Cup playoffs are already history in the first round. Meanwhile, it is uncertain how much longer Herrera's MLS adventure will last in general. His contract expires in December 2024 and there has not yet been any information about a possible contract extension.
However, as can be seen from his Instagram post, Herrera apparently wants to continue playing for Houston in 2025. He apologized to the fans for his red card on Monday evening (local time) and added after the first-round exit: "I'm sure we'll come back stronger in 2025."
