Diego Kochen Is Ready for His Next Challenge With the USMNT

For years, Diego Kochen was viewed as one of the most intriguing American goalkeeping prospects in Barcelona’s system. Now, at 20, he is finally getting the combination of senior playing time and international recognition that could shape the next stage of his career.

Kochen was called into Mauricio Pochettino’s United States Men’s National Team for the first time this September, joining a new-look squad at the beginning of the 2030 World Cup cycle. The goalkeeper has yet to make his senior debut, but the call-up comes after an important change in his club career: leaving Barcelona temporarily to become a starting goalkeeper in Denmark.

After spending seven seasons in Barcelona’s system, Kochen joined newly promoted Lyngby Boldklub on loan in July. The agreement runs through June 2027 and includes an option to buy. Barcelona’s decision was designed to give the Miami-born goalkeeper something he had been unable to consistently get in Catalonia — regular first-team football.

Kochen arrived at Lyngby after spending the previous two seasons with Barça Atlètic while also regularly being included in first-team matchday squads. Last season, he made 20 appearances for Barcelona’s reserve side.

The move to Denmark represented a significant change. Instead of competing for a place behind Barcelona’s established first-team goalkeepers, Kochen was joining a newly promoted Superliga club with the expectation of playing every week.

That is exactly what has happened.

Kochen has started all nine of Lyngby’s league matches this season, playing every minute. Through the opening nine games, he has made 24 saves from 40 shots on target, while Lyngby sits 10th in the 12-team league. 

For Kochen, however, the value of the move goes beyond statistics.

“I couldn’t be happier,” he told Yahoo Sports. “And I’m grateful for the opportunity I’m having to get minutes and be playing in a first division.” 

That opportunity has quickly changed the conversation around his development.

Kochen joined Barcelona in 2019 after moving from the United States to Spain with his family at age 12. He eventually worked his way through La Masia and into Barça Atlètic, while also becoming a regular presence around the senior team.

He never made a competitive first-team appearance, although he was repeatedly included in Barcelona matchday squads and featured in preseason matches.

Still, the experience left a lasting mark.

“To be able to grow up in [Barcelona’s] system and experience the things I’ve experienced with the first team, with the second team, with climbing up the ranks, has been absolutely a dream come true,” Kochen said.

“They’re a big part of the goalkeeper I am today. I couldn’t be more grateful to have been with them since I was very young.”

His time around the first team also meant sharing a dressing-room environment with some of the most recognizable young players in world football. Kochen grew up in the Barcelona academy alongside Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, who have since become key figures for Spain.

After Spain’s World Cup triumph this summer, Kochen reached out to both.

“I grew up with [them]. They started [climbing the Barcelona ladder] pretty quickly,” he said. 

Kochen’s international future has been a topic of interest for years because of his family background.

Born in Miami, he has a Peruvian mother and Venezuelan father, making him eligible to represent both South American nations in addition to the United States. He has also held Spanish citizenship.

Both Peru and Venezuela have shown interest in him at different points during his development. Peru, in particular, had followed Kochen since his time at Barcelona, with the Peruvian federation maintaining interest in the goalkeeper. 

But Kochen has consistently represented the United States at youth level, beginning with the U-16s, and his latest comments make his current preference clear.

“Right now, I see myself in the U.S.,” Kochen told Yahoo Sports. “I’m here right now in this camp. I’m representing this country, and honestly, I couldn’t be more grateful for that opportunity. So right now, my full focus is on the USA.” 

The timing is particularly notable.

Kochen could potentially make his senior international debut against Peru on September 26 in Orlando, meaning his first USMNT opportunity could come against one of the countries connected to his family background. The United States will also face Chile, Mexico and Canada during the current international window. 

After years of development at one of the world’s most famous academies, he has stepped away from Barcelona temporarily to play senior football in Denmark. That decision has given him regular minutes, responsibility and a new platform to demonstrate what he can do.

Now it has also brought him into the USMNT picture.

Whether Kochen ultimately returns to Barcelona, remains in Denmark or takes another step elsewhere will be determined later. For the moment, his priorities are much simpler: keep playing, keep improving and make the most of his first opportunity with the United States.