Diego Kochen

Diego Kochen (born March 19, 2006) is an American professional football player who plays as a goalkeeper for FC Barcelona.

Club career
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. 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.

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

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

International career
Kochen has represented the United States at youth international level. He remains eligible to represent Peru or Venezuela. In January 2022, Diego received his first US YNT call-up for a training camp at IMG in Brandenton. On 15 March 2022 Kochen debuted for the United States U17 Kochen made five appearances for the U17 team and captained the squad on one occasion. He then made his debut for the United States U19 on 24 March 2024 against England U19, which resulted in a 3–2 win for the United States.