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Former Houston Dynamo FC designated player and recent Toluca signing Héctor Herrera must fulfill a three-game ban he received at the end of the last MLS season before making his debut for the Liga MX team.
The Mexico Football Federation on Thursday notified Liga MX that the former Mexico international will miss the first three Liga MX matches due the ban for spitting at the ref in the Dynamo's playoff game against the Seattle Sounders, thus delaying his first Toluca start until Jan. 29.
Toluca signing and former Mexico international Héctor Herrera will need to fulfill a three-game sanction from MLS in his first three Liga MX matches this season.
Héctor Herrera will serve a three-match ban for spitting at an MLS ref. @TolucaFC
"The disciplinary committee of the Mexican Football Federation notified Club Toluca that the player, Héctor Miguel Herrera López, has a three (3) match sporting suspension pending, derived from the expulsion he received in his last match played with the MLS club, Houston Dynamo," the federation said in a news release.
"Therefore, he must comply with said sanction in the next three (3) official matches he plays with Club Toluca in the LIGA BBVA MX."
The release cited FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which states: "Any disciplinary sanction of up to four matches or up to three months that has been imposed on a player by the former association but not yet (entirely) served by the time of the transfer shall be enforced by the new association at which the player has been registered in order for the sanction to be served at domestic level."
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This past November, the 34-year-old was given a three-match ban due to spitting at a match official in his last appearance with the Dynamo. Shortly after playing his last game, the MLS side declined their 2025 contract option for the Designated Player.
"The incident that happened, we don't condone spitting on any opponent, whether it's an opponent or referee it's unacceptable," Houston Dynamo GM Pat Onstad said after the event. "It's not accepted in our team, and I am sure he would be the first person to tell you that he lost his mind for a moment. It's not a determining factor but everything played into [the decision to not exercise his 2025 option.]"
With the three-match ban set, Herrera will miss Toluca's games against Club Tijuana, Monterrey, and Mazatlán in the start of the 2025 Clausura season.
Source: espn.co.uk