Miguel Herrera

Herrera made his debut in 1985 with Segunda División side Deportivo Neza. Originally a forward, he switched to playing as a defender after his move to Tecos UAG in 1987. Herrera made his debut in the Primera División on May 22, 1988, in a 2–0 victory over Atlas. He was transferred to Santos Laguna in 1988, making 30 appearances and scoring four goals. He had his first stint with Atlante in 1989, making 36 appearances and scoring four goals before moving to Querétaro in 1990. He again transferred to Atlante in 1991, and won his first league title during the 1992–93 season after defeating Monterrey in the finals by a 4–0 aggregate score after winning the first-leg 1–0 and the second 4–0. He would remain at the club until 1995, making 125 appearances and scoring nine goals. Herrera was then sold to Toros Neza, with whom he would play in his second league final during the "Verano '97" season, ultimately losing to Guadalajara by an aggregate score of 7–2. In 1999, Herrera returned to Atlante for a third time before officially retiring in 2000.

Herrera participated with Mexico's national team in the 1993 Copa América tournament held in Ecuador. Mexico went on to reach the final against Argentina, losing 1–2. Herrera played in all of Mexico's matches during the qualifying stages for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, though he was omitted from the final squad list by coach Miguel Mejía Barón.

First spell with Atlante

In 2002, two years after retiring, Herrera came back to coach his former club Atlante. He would remain manager for two years, but resigned in 2004 after failing to take Atlante to a final.

Monterrey

For the Apertura 2004, Herrera was named head coach of Monterrey. He coincidentally faced his former club Atlante in the semifinals, with Monterrey advancing by an aggregate score of 7–3. He ultimately failed to make Monterrey champions, losing to UNAM in the final by an aggregate score of 3–1. He succeeded in taking Monterrey to another final in the Apertura 2005 tournament, but failed once more, this time losing to Toluca with an aggregate score of 6–3. Herrera would continue to be manager of Monterrey until the Apertura 2007 tournament, where his contract was terminated in September 2007 due to continuous poor form.

Veracruz

Prior to the Clausura 2008, Herrera was hired as manager of Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz after the resignation of Antonio Mohamed. A stand-out victory for Herrera was a 4–0 home victory over Club América on March 29, 2008. He was in charge of preventing Veracruz from being relegated to the Primera División 'A' de México, though Veracruz was inevitably relegated to the level. Herrera parted ways with the club in May 2008.

Estudiantes Tecos

Shortly after leaving Veracruz, Herrera was hired to manage a struggling Estudiantes Tecos midway into the Apertura 2008 tournament to replace José Luis Trejo.…

Herrera is a known "Lavolpista", a term used to describe coaches that follow the style and philosophy of Ricardo La Volpe, although Herrera has stated he isn't, arguing he incorporates footballing styles from various other coaches he has trained with. Most of them use the 5–3–2 formation with fast wing-backs. Herrera has been criticized for deploying a "pyrotechnic" style with offensive and direct game that sometimes leaves the defense vulnerable. He transferred over the formation from Club América to national level when he was made Mexico's manager.