HOUSTON (Jan. 23, 2026) – Houston Dynamo 2 is excited to announce the signing of Dynamo Academy product and midfielder D'Alessandro Herrera to an MLS NEXT Pro contract through 2026, the Club announced today.
Notably, the Alief (Houston) native is the 11th Dynamo Academy product in club history to sign a professional contract with Dynamo 2.
“We are proud to offer D’Lo his first professional contract with Houston Dynamo FC, his hometown club,” said Dynamo Assistant General Manager Nick Kowba. “Growing up in Alief, D’Lo started his youth career at Maya FC and Imperial SC before joining the Dynamo Academy at age 10. Upon graduating from our Academy, he led our local Division 1 program, Houston Christian University to back-to-back conference championship appearances, earning multiple individual honors and a chance to start his professional career with HD2. We want to thank his parents Carlos and Lucia for raising such a high character person and we look forward to D’Lo contributing to our MLS NEXT Pro team on and off the field in the coming season.”
Herrera joins Dynamo 2 following an outstanding four-year career at Houston Christian University, where he made 73 appearances (67 starts) and helped the Huskies reach the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament Championship in both 2024 and 2025, while recording 17 goals and 19 assists. The midfielder concluded his time with HCU ranked among the program’s all-time leaders, having played the third-most matches and the fifth most minutes (5,296) in school history. He is also tied for fourth all-time in assists and game-winning goals (7), while ranking eighth all-time in career points (53), becoming one of just 10 players in program history to reach 50 or more points.
In 2025, Herrera was named OVC Midfielder of the Year and earned OVC All-Conference First Team honors, both for the second time in his collegiate career. He started all 19 matches, recording five goals and three assists, including a two-assist performance versus Eastern Illinois on Oct. 9. He also helped HCU finish the season with an 11-5-3 (WLD) record, including a 7-1-1 (WLD) record at home.
Before committing to HCU, Herrera was a key contributor to the Dynamo Academy, joining at the age of 10 and rising through the ranks, featuring in Generation adidas Cups with the U-12 and U-17 squads. Herrera already featured for Dynamo 2 in 2022, making 14 appearances and scoring his first professional goal in a home match versus Portland Timbers2.
Herrera began his soccer journey at an early age after being introduced to the sport by his father, who played amateur soccer in Mexico. He trained with his family at Alief Community Park and quickly developed his skills before competing in a local league with Maya FC and playing for a local club Imperial SC.
The 21-year-old was first named OVC Midfielder of the Year and earned OVC All-Conference First Team honors during his sophomore season (2023) after leading the team in points (19), assists (7), shots (31), shots on goal (16) and game winning goals (3), including a 89th minute game-winner against Santa Clara University on September 10. He also ranked first in the conference in assists and points.
As a freshman (2022), Herrera earned Western Athletic Conference All-Freshman honors and led the Huskies in assists with six, while his junior season (2024) saw him register an assist in the OVC Championship match to level the score and earn OVC All-Conference honors for the second straight year.
TRANSACTION: Houston Dynamo 2 signed Dynamo Academy product and midfielder D’Alessandro Herrera to an MLS NEXT Pro contract through 2026.
