| Diego Kochen | |
| Birth Date: | 19 March 2006 |
| Birth Place: | Miami, Florida, United States |
| Height: | 1.88m (06.17feet) |
| Currentclub: | Barcelona B |
| Clubnumber: | 13 |
| Position: | Goalkeeper |
| Youthclubs1: | Weston |
| Youthclubs2: | West Pines United |
| Youthyears3: | 2016–2019 |
| Youthclubs3: | Marcet Football Academy |
| Youthyears4: | 2018–2019 |
| Youthclubs4: | TecnoFutbol CF |
| Youthyears5: | 2019– |
| Youthclubs5: | Barcelona |
| Years1: | 2024– |
| Clubs1: | Barcelona B |
| Caps1: | 6 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2021–2022 |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U16 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2022–2023 |
| Nationalteam2: | United States U17 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam3: | United States U19 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | November 19, 2024 |
Diego Kochen (born March 19, 2006) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Spanish team Barcelona Atlètic.
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.[1] [2] 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.[1] [2]
Having progressed through Barcelona's La Masia academy, he signed his first professional contract with the club in March 2022.[3] On October 11, 2023, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.[4] Kochen was included in the senior squad for a friendly against Club América on December 22, 2023.[5] He substituted Ander Astralaga after an hour and played 30 minutes.[6]
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.[7] He made his Barcelona B debut on April 14 against Unionistas CF, which ended in a 4–1 loss.
Kochen has represented the United States at youth international level. He remains eligible to represent Peru or Venezuela.[8] [9] In January 2022, Diego received his first US YNT call-up for a training camp at IMG in Brandenton.[10] 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.[11] [12] 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.[13] He received his first call up to the senior United States men's national soccer team for the September 2024 international window.[14]
| 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 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||