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Diego Kochen

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Diego Kochen
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-03-19) March 19, 2006 (age 18)
Place of birth Miami, Florida, United States[1]
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona B
Number 13
Youth career
0000 Weston
West Pines United
2016–2019 Marcet Football Academy
2018–2019 TecnoFutbol CF
2019– Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Barcelona B 3 (0)
International career
2022 United States U16 2 (0)
2022–2023 United States U17 5 (0)
2024– United States U19 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 31, 2024

Diego Kochen (born March 19, 2006) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Spanish team Barcelona Atlètic.

Club career

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Born in Miami, Florida, to a Peruvian mother and Venezuelan father, Kochen started his career with the academy of Weston, initially starting his career as an outfield player, before switching to goalkeeper at the age of eight to cover for an ill teammate.[2][3] He also played for West Pines United in Florida and, after his parents moved to Spain in 2018 for work-related reasons, he played for the Marcet Football University as well as TecnoFutbol CF.[2][3]

Having progressed through Barcelona's La Masia academy, he signed his first professional contract with the club in March 2022.[4] On October 11, 2023, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.[5] Kochen was included in the senior squad for a friendly against Club América on December 22, 2023.[6] He substituted Ander Astralaga after an hour and played 30 minutes.[7]

On February 2, 2024, FC Barcelona reached an agreement with Kochen for a new contract. The deal was signed on March 19 on his 18th birthday, and lasts until June 2028. The club also agreed on an official inclusion of the Barcelona Atlètic roster for the remainder of the 2023–24 season, where he was assigned the number 24.[8] He made his Barcelona B debut on April 14 against Unionistas CF, which ended in a 4–1 loss.

International career

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Kochen has represented the United States at youth international level.[1] He remains eligible to represent Peru or Venezuela.[9][10] In January 2022, Diego received his first US YNT call-up for a training camp at IMG in Brandenton.[11] On March 15, 2022, Kochen debuted for the United States under-17, going on to captain the team on occasion and receive a nomination for 2022 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year.[12][13] He then made his debut for the United States under-19 on March 24, 2024, against England under-19, which resulted in a 3–2 win for the United States.[14] He received his first call up to the senior United States men's national soccer team for the September 2024 international window.[15]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played on August 31, 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona Atlètic 2023–24 Primera Federación 1 0 — — — 1 0
2024–25 2 0 — — — 2 0
Total 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Career total 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c Diego Kochen at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b Bona, German (April 19, 2022). "Who is Diego Kochen, the USMNT goalkeeper training with Barça B?". sport.es. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Diego Kochen: 'The best of my life'". marcetfootball.com. January 14, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Joan Laporta paga más que nadie por el nuevo Courtois y el Barça anuncia que el acuerdo está cerrado" [Joan Laporta pays more than anyone for the new Courtois and Barça announces that the deal is closed]. elnacional.cat (in Spanish). March 2, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (October 11, 2023). "Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football". theguardian.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "The squad for Dallas". www.fcbarcelona.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  7. ^ "Five more debuts in the Dallas friendly". www.fcbarcelona.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "Diego Kochen staying at FC Barcelona until 2028". www.fcbarcelona.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  9. ^ "Arquero del FC Barcelona de raíces peruanas fue convocado por Estados Unidos" [FC Barcelona goalkeeper with Peruvian roots was summoned by the United States]. larepublica.pe (in Spanish). January 15, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  10. ^ "Diego Kochen, el joven portero con ascendencia venezolana que se forma con el FC Barcelona" [Diego Kochen, the young goalkeeper with Venezuelan descent who trained with FC Barcelona]. El Nacional (in Spanish). March 1, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  11. ^ "Congratulations Tyler Hall & Diego Kochen! U17 USYNT Call-Up". Weston FC. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  12. ^ "Argentina U17 vs. United States U17 - 15 March 2022 - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "USA roster announced for 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship". SoccerWire. February 3, 2023.
  14. ^ "U.S. Under-19 MYNT Tops England 3-2 in Morocco as Prep for Concacaf Championship Continues". US Soccer. March 25, 2024.
  15. ^ Henry, Larry Jr. (September 1, 2024). "Marlon Fossey, Diego Kochen earning USMNT opportunities in September window - SBI Soccer". SBI Soccer.
  16. ^ Diego Kochen at Soccerway
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