Emmanuel Ochoa is heading south of the U.S./Mexico border…
The San Jose Earthquakes have agreed to terms with Cruz Azul to transfer the 19-year-old Mexican American professional soccer player and goalkeeper to the Liga MX side.
The Quakes will receive a fee of $2 million plus a percentage of any future transfer, per ESPN sources.
Ochoa is a product of San Jose’s academy, having signed a homegrown contract with the club as a 14-year-old back in 2019. At the time he was touted as the second-youngest player ever to sign a deal with a Major League Soccer (MLS) club.
The Mexico U20 international made one appearance with the Quakes’ first team in a 2024 U.S. Open Cup match, but never appeared in a league match, despite being on the bench as an unused substitute 19 times.
He made a total of 48 appearances with The Town, San Jose’s reserve team, in MLS Next Pro.
The Quakes’ starting goalkeeper spot is currently in possession of Daniel, who’s entering his third season in San Jose. The Quakes recently acquired another goalkeeper, Earl Edwards, in a trade with the New England Revolution.
At international level, Ochoa has appeared for youth sides for both the United States and Mexico, but most recently has made two appearances for Mexico’s U20 team.