Carlos Ochoa

Carlos Augusto Ochoa Mendoza (born 5 March 1978) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Career

He started his career as a substitute for Necaxa in 1999, and was part of their squad that finished third in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. He later rose to prominence playing with Tigres UANL, where he reached the final. From Tigres, he was transferred to CA Osasuna of Pamplona in La Liga, but saw little action and was returned to Tigres. He has also played with Querétaro and Chiapas, where Salvador Cabañas and he formed a dominant forward offense in the 2000s. He then moved to Monterrey where he played for two years.

In December 2008, Ochoa was loaned to Club Deportivo Guadalajara on a one-year deal with an option for sale.

Ochoa stated that he would be honored to end his career with the Guadalajara jersey. He also said he had wanted for years to play for Chivas, but since they never made an offer, he stayed with Monterrey. During the Interliga 2009, Ochoa scored four goals in three games for Chivas. In the final he scored an own goal but Chivas still won the Interliga Championship.

In his Clausura 2009 debut, he scored 2 goals against Cruz Azul, which ended in a 3–3 draw. Due to poor performance, though, Ochoa was sent to CD Tapatio, the Chivas second-division affiliate. When new head coach Paco Ramirez took rein of Chivas, Ochoa was called back up to the first team.

At the end of the season, Chivas passed on purchasing Ochoa and he was sold by Monterrey to Santos Laguna for the Apertura 2009 season. After being purchased by Santos Laguna, he has been also loaned to Chiapas and Tigres UANL. After his loan to Tigres UANL he returned to Santos Laguna.

International career During Javier Aguirre's era in front of Mexico, he was called up for the 2002 World Cup qualifying matches, but in the end he was left out of the squad that participated in the 2002 World Cup. Five years later, he finally got another chance to represent his national team again.

Career statistics International

National team Year Apps GoalsMexico 2002 5 1 2008 3 0 2009 2 0 Total 10 1

International goals Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. January 21, 2002 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States 3–1 3–1 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup