Southern California product Sammy Ochoa could be coming home after five years in Mexico, where the 24-year-old forward saw spotty action since signing in 2006 for Mexican Primera Division club Estudiantes Tecos.

Ochoa signed with MLS on Wednesday and if Chivas USA wants him, he's theirs because the team sits atop the league's allocation table, based on last season's results, and has right of first refusal, explains Scott French.

Chivas USA had already have passed on midfielders Benny Feilhaber and Freddy Adu, but Ochoa's contract ought to be easier to work into the club's budget, though there are no details on the contract.

Ochoa scored two goals in 27 league appearances with Tecos, never wresting a first-team job with the club from suburban Guadalajara. He was on trial with the Seattle Sounders in early June and scored in an MLS Reserve League game against the Galaxy. Ochoa played for Seattle coach Sigi Schmid at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup and played for the U.S. under-23 team during the buildup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.