The promising teenager has yet to make his senior USMNT debut, but with one camp under Poch, next 16 months are crucial

“You deserve it,” Barcelona manager Hansi Flick told Diego Kochen in the summer of 2024, when the German coach selected the 18-year-old American prospect for the club's preseason tour in the United States.

Initially the fourth-choice goalkeeper, the U.S. youth international quickly caught Flick’s attention, earning the chance to train with the first team within weeks of the manager's arrival. Since then, Kochen has made the bench eight times for the senior squad across three different competitions while continuing to impress with Barcelona Atlètic, the club’s reserve team.

At just 18, Kochen is being touted as the future of Barcelona; a storied program once home to Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Xavi, and Iniesta — among countless other superstars and legends of the game — the U.S. youth international is being looked at as a potential cornerstone of the for years to come.

Exceptional with his footwork on the ball, and agile between the posts, he's being trained in to be the heir to the Catalan Club's goalkeeping issues, while he himself has ambitions to reach the top. A backup goalkeeper on Mauricio Pochettino's November CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals team that defeated Jamaica over two legs, the Barca youngster earned his first camp under the USMNT manager and was handed an opportunity to impress his potential future international teammates, too.

“First of all, he’s a good kid,” Christian Pulisic said of Kochen in November after featuring alongside training with him during the camp. “He fits in well with the group."

He added, “I’d be lying if I said I’d seen so much of him [in training], but I’ve seen him make a couple of good saves, and that’s his job at the end of the day. And obviously he’s doing really well for himself over there (at Barcelona), so it’s exciting to see. We know he’s gonna have a bright future.”

Kochen, meanwhile, hopes he finds himself in the mix of the program over the next year, with ambitions to be included in Pochettino's 2026 FIFA World Cup roster.

"It would be surreal, but I'm there for whatever the country needs," he told ESPN earlier this month. "Whatever position it needs me in, I'll be there 100 percent. If it's the first goalkeeper in the 2026 World Cup, if it's the second, if it's the third, whatever they need me to be, I'll be there at 100 percent."

Until then, though, Kochen has to maintain a level head and work towards his goals.

The realization of the U.S. goalkeeping situation is real though, for both fans, the program, and the talent in the pool. So the question looms: could he be the future of the USMNT? Barcelona? What does his ceiling look like?

GOAL takes a look at the 18-year-old's rise to stardom, from playing Manchester City at age 11 in a tournament in Miami to moving to Spain with his family and now, working his way up the pecking order at one of soccer's most historic clubs in Catalonia.

FC BarcelonaWhere it all began

Kochen, born in Miami to Peruvian and Venezuelan parents, was always adamant he would be a goalkeeper. The level to which he's climbed? Some can say it's fate, hard work and determination — but it's also passion, driven by a mindset geared towards victory and triumph.

First scouted by U.S. Soccer in 2017 while playing for Weston at the Prospects Cup, Kochen stood out at the U12 tournament in Kissimmee, Florida featuring global powerhouses and domestic clubs from the region. After a truly standout performance against the LA Galaxy in the competition, he started making waves.

It was a match against Manchester City at the event that changed everything, though.

He led Weston to the final of the competition against the English heavyweights, where they fell 3-0, but his performances truly stood out. So much so, he was interviewed by UNIVISION TV after the match – the broadcasters of the competition.

“So, what’s your future?” Kochen was asked, replying: “We are hoping to get into more tournaments like this, play better, and find ways in order to improve, in order to play against teams like this in finals and win one time.”

“Wow, I’m surprised at your maturity in responding,” the reporter replied.

“I wasn’t paying attention to the badge on the opponents’ jersey. I was only focusing on what was in front of me,” Kochen told Sports Illustrated as well. “But this was a challenge to test ourselves against great competition.”

Despite losing in the final, Kochen was handed the Golden Ball for the competition, being crowned the top goalkeeper of the tournament. The trophy was given to him by the then-19-year-old global ambassador for the event — Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic.

Fast forward eight years, and the duo are representing the USMNT in camp together.

He's been bound for the top since.

AdvertisementAFPThe big break

After his heroics at the Prospects Cup with Weston, scouts started turn up more and more to watch Kochen — including U.S. Soccer. However, his big break came in 2018, when his family took a chance on his footballing career, and his mother's, too.

The Kochen's moved to Barcelona in 2018 after his mother was handed a unique job opportunity with DHL in the Spanish city, and they immediately signed Kochen up with Fundacion Marcet, a football school in the northeast side of the city.

Immediately, he caught an eye of a Barcelona scout, who reportedly contacted two members of the youth academy in Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira.

“We saw him and knew we had to move fast,” Roura told The Athletic.

“When we took him to Barca to try him out, I said we had to sign him and we had to do it now,” Roura said. “Goalkeepers and central defenders are the two positions where physique is really important — it can be decisive. We look at the parents because nowadays a goalkeeper under six feet tall is already too small. He already had a very good physique at that age.

“Technically, he already had some good traits. Without having worked hard he already had good footwork. I talked to him and he surprised me. He was a very focused kid, serious, hard-working, and eager to learn. And he was so young. There were a lot of factors that made you want to sign him; he was special.”

Kochen then signed for Barca at age 12 in 2019, progressing through the club's ranks immediately. In 2023-24, he began as a part of the Juvenil A U19 team, before beginning to train with Barca Atletic — and even with the first-team in stints under then-manager Xavi.

"The truth is that I don’t know where and when the Barça scouts noticed me, but it must have been in one of the games I played with Marcet. What I do know is that I was the last one to find out about Barça’s interest, since my parents didn’t tell me until the end. They finally told me at home, right after a training session at Marcet. Obviously, I felt a great joy. I couldn’t believe it! I was speechless for a few minutes. Being part of the best team in the world is like a dream. It is an honor, but also a great responsibility," Kochen told MarcetFootball after completing the move.

Internationally, Kochen received his first call-up to a U.S. youth national team camp in January 2022, where U17 coach Gonzalo Segares called upon him as part of the group to represent the USYNT at the 2023 U17 World Cup. He started five matches for the U.S. in 2022 in the buildup to the tournament, but come the turn of the calendar year, dealt with respective elbow and back injuries that kept him out of the World Cup and the CONCACAF Championships.

Conversations continued, though, and U.S. Soccer never turned a blind eye to the goalkeeper. Through his growth within in the system, he continued to impress, eventually earning his first senior call-up to the USMNT in September 2024 under interim manager Mikey Varas.

“He’s a young player playing for Barcelona B that we see as a high potential player,” Varas said when the roster for the September camp was announced. “This is an opportunity for him to come in and not only compete with the senior team but also get an amazing experience so that we can keep building for our future.”

Although Kochen has seemingly shown a willingness to pursue an international career with the U.S., he had additional admirers, too. Eligible for both Peru and Venezuela through his parents, he also qualifies as a Spanish national on residency grounds through his Latin American heritage having lived in the country for two years. In normal circumstances, it would require 10 years of residency for consideration.

As a result, 2024 EURO champions Spain have had their eyes on him, too. Francis Hernandez, Spain's national team’s youth coordinator, is reportedly an admirer of Kochen's and is actively keeping tabs on the Barcelona youngster.

Regardless, though, Kochen is on the rise — and a potential fight for his international allegiance may be on the cards in the near future.

Biggest strengths

Where Kochen has really made waves within is with his feet; a heavily desired trait amongst young goalkeepers within the modern game. Comfortable with back passes, dribbling with the ball forward, and with long-range passes, he's excelled when under pressure while remaining composed on the ball.

With a 6'2' frame as well, the 18-year-old's shot-stopping ability has impressed the camp, too. From close-range attempts to set piece directing, he's become a leader in the box throughout his time at Barcelona, playing in a demanding, yet composed manner. In addition to his shot-stopping ability, Barcelona scouts have spoken about his agility, something that has set him aside from other goalkeepers, too.

Kochen displayed incredible athleticism at different points throughout the Barca academy, making consecutive saves in concession while boasting spectacular reaction time, as well. Within the ranks of the he's been compared to that of senior goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen, while Flick himself has shared his admiration for the young goalkeeper.

In December, the Spanish club tied him down to a new long-term contract through 2028, showing their faith in him as a potential future successor between the sticks for the club.

AFPAreas for development

Although Kochen has impressed scouts within the Catalan club and U.S. Soccer, there are still areas where he can improve as a goalkeeper. One key aspect is his physical strength. At 176 pounds, Kochen remains a slender teenager and lacks the bulk typically seen in senior-level goalkeepers. While a lean frame can be an asset for many soccer players, Kochen needs to focus on building strength to enhance his overall game.

Physical strength is particularly crucial for professional goalkeepers, who must be commanding in the air and capable of competing against strong, imposing forwards during set pieces and corner kicks.

From a tactical perspective, as a goalkeeper, Kochen just needs to continue honing the traits that make him special. Continue developing footwork as a goalkeeper under pressure, while further bettering agility between the posts and awareness of the 18-yard box. Most importantly, though, he needs to work towards a senior debut at the club level, which could ultimately hand him opportunities on the international stage over the next 11 months.