Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - The Houston Dynamo signed Mexican forward Luis Angel Landin as the club's first designated player Thursday.

Landin will join the club on a loan deal that runs through the end of 2010, at which time the club will have an option to acquire his rights permanently. Per league and club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Landin, 24, has appeared five times for the Mexican national team. He comes to the Dynamo on loan from Mexican club Cruz Azul, where he scored seven goals in the 2009 Clausura season. Landin was on loan to Cruz from Morelia, where he played from 2007-08.

"I am looking forward to getting Luis involved with the team," Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear said. "He is a player that will fit nicely into our system. I think we improved our team with an exciting, young, attacking player.

"We'll get him training as soon as possible and get him ready to play in this physically demanding league."

Born in Zamora, Michoacan, Mexico, Landin came up through the Pachuca youth system and made his professional debut with Pachuca as a 19-year-old in 2004. He first caught the Dynamo's attention playing against Houston in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Later that year, Landin netted the decisive penalty kick in the shootout against Chivas that decided the Champions' Cup title.

Landin, the first Mexican player to sign for the Dynamo, will occupy Houston's designated player slot. The designated player rule was implemented prior to the 2007 MLS season, granting each team the ability to sign a player whose salary, above a capped amount, will fall outside of the team's budget.

He will be eligible to play for the Dynamo in MLS games pending receipt of his P1 work visa. He will not be available for the Dynamo in the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League because he was named to Azul's roster for the tournament.