Who is Diego Kochen, the USMNT goalkeeper training with Barça B?
The youngster is tipped to have a bright future at Barcelona
Barça B have guaranteed the future of one of the most promising players in the academy. Diego Kochen has signed a new deal and will be part of the U19 setup next year. He's tipped to have a bright future at Camp Nou, potentially in the first team, and at 16 is already training with the B team this week.
Diego Kochen was born on March 19, 2006 in Miami. He's been a goalkeeper since he was eight, when his team's goalkeeper was ill and he was asked to fill in.
He joined Barça in 2019 after being spotted playing at Tecnofutbol in Catalonia, where he stood out for his agility, reflexes and technical concepts. And he has kept on improving, sources at the club say, highlighting his "aerial play and reaction time."
He arrived at the Academia Marcet when his parents signed him up for a summer camp having previously played for Weston FC Academy in his homeland.
When he signed for Barça, he has revealed, that he was the last to learn because his parents wanted to have everything sorted before they told him.
His progression since has been unstoppable o the point that Sergi Barjuan and Oscar Lopez have called him up to train with the B team.
He continued Barça's recent links with the United States. Konrad de la Fuente, also from Miami, came through La Masia and debuted for the first team but left for Marseille last summer.
Meanwhile, Sergiño Dest arrived from Ajax and is a regular in the first team, while another young American, Adrian Gill Simons, is also in La Masia at the moment.
Kochen has been involved at youth level with various USA trams, although his mother is from Peru and his dad is from Venezuela.
