DURING THE NOVEMBER WINDOW, U.S. SOCCER took the first steps in its preparation for the 2028 Olympics with the start of a U-21 national team, which will gradually grow into the U-23 Olympic team. For many of these players, the coming years of preparing for the Los Angeles Games will be an important part of their transition from youth soccer to the full national team where they could become the generation that follows the well-known current group which includes Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, and Weston McKennie.

Diego Kochen, 19, participated in that camp and the Barcelona goalkeeper is one of the top young American prospects in his position and the hope is that he is front and center in two years when the United States hosts the Olympics at the 2028 games in Los Angeles.

“It was a surprise actually,” Kochen told American Soccer Now. “I found out a week before the actual camp and After the U-20 cycle, I thought that there wasn't anything between since the Olympics are in 2028, but I saw I got the request from US soccer to go to U-21s and I was happily surprised it was and it was an honor.”

“It's true that I knew half the players already and all the staff was there with us during the U-20 World Cup,” he added. “But the rest of the team has been really welcoming and they've super cool with us. The coaching staff changed because Marco got the job at New England. Something that still hasn't change is the intensity and the work ethic. It's a great group of guys. And I think it's going to be very interesting to see how we evolve and how we start working together throughout these camps to prepare for the Olympics, because we all come from different backgrounds and different clubs with different ideas.”

Over the past four years, Kochen has been a regular with U.S. youth national teams. His first call-up came to the U-16 team four years ago this month in January 2022. Two months later, he was already on the U.S. U-17 team and was nominated for the federations Young Player of the Year in 2022.

In the fall, he was expected to take a big step forward with the national team when he was named to the 2025 U-20 World Cup team where he was the presumed starter. But just two days before the opening game, he was recalled by Barcelona due to a new injury to Joan Garcia. At the time, Marc Andre ter Stegen was also injured. This forced Wojciech Szcz?sny into the starting job with Kochen as the backup.

It was a time of mixed emotions for Kochen who was both sad to leave his national team but was excited to help provide his club team with needed stability in LaLiga and the Champions League.

“That U-20 cycle was very unique and I think an incredible group of guys got really close together because we were working towards that tournament for a very, very long time,” Kochen said. “Obviously it was a really big bummer to leave. At the same time it wasn't because I was getting another opportunity back at the club. But I was a little bit sad to leave but I had no doubt in my mind that they were going to put a performance and accomplish what they've accomplished at the World Cup. It didn't end the way we wanted to, but I'm still super proud of everybody. And I watched every game and supported the back home.”

For Kochen, the Olympics now take on an added priority after having missed out on the U-20 World Cup. Given the enthusiasm among the American public for the Olympics, the fact the country will be hosting it, and that the U.S. team could be competitive at the tournament, Kochen is optimistic.

Also, the Olympic tournament historically serves as a springboard for players to bridge the gap between youth soccer and the full national team. Kochen has already been called up by the full national team in September 2024 under an interim coaching staff and then later again in November 2024 under Mauricio Pochettino.

Those experience allowed him to train with the country’s top players and work with Pochettino’s long-time goalkeeping coach Antonio Jiminez.

“It was an honor to receive the call to go with the senior team and I have to say the whole staff was very welcoming,” Kochen recalled of being called up by Pochettino. “I was integrated very quickly. As soon as I landed, I went straight to the team dinner, and everyone presented themselves and were super nice to me. You could tell that the coaching staff is very experienced, and they know what they're doing. They have an idea, and everybody has a goal - which is to compete and make a strong statement in the World Cup at home. They're all one unit. They know their coach, they know what they're representing. It's really interesting to see how Poch came from a club team to a national team. What he's doing with the team is incredible.”

Kochen’s background and his history with the sport is unusual. He was born in the Miami area in a multinational household. His mother is from Peru and his father is from Venezuela. Despite his success in soccer as a teenager, for most of his childhood his top sport was surfing, which was his priority until around the age of 10.

“I don't come from a family that is big on soccer,” Kochen explained. “My first sport was actually surfing. I grew up with a family who surfed. And I did that for a while, especially growing up in South Florida. It's very popular down there. And a bunch of my friends transitioned from surfing all that to playing soccer - around 10 years old. I started pretty late and my earliest memory of falling in love with the sport was the 2014 World Cup and watching USA play. My biggest idol was Tim Howard. That tournament is what really made me want to stick to the sport and take it seriously.”

Once Kochen began to focus on soccer, things took off quickly for him. In Florida, he played for top local clubs Weston FC and West Pines United before his family moved to Spain and he began playing for Marcet Football University. From there he was scouted by Barcelona where he joined the La Masia academy and earned a professional contract. On his 18^th birthday in 2024, he signed a new first team deal that saw him promoted to the second team Barça Atlètic. During that time he has been frequently on the bench for the club’s first team as a second backup.

“It's the biggest honor I have and I'm super grateful for the chance to represent a club like that,” Kochen said of playing for Barcelona. “But at the same time, you can't let your guard down. You've always got to be at top shape. You've got to take care of yourself non-stop because you always got someone above you and someone under you. It's a very competitive club, one of the most prestigious in the world. So you've always got to be in your top shape, giving your best.”

Of course, Barcelona’s footprint has expanded back in his hometown of Miami. Inter Miami is winning MLS Cup in December with Barcelona legends Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, and Sergino Busquets leading the way. Inter Miami has been in the global spotlight since acquiring the quartet and, for Kochen, it has been an exciting development.

“I try to go as much as possible because you have everybody there now - Messi, Busquets, Alba - all the people I grew up watching and the big guys who are at the club I am at now,” Kochen said. “When Messi came, I remember all my friends back home, everybody was freaking out. They couldn't believe it. You can definitely tell the difference. It brought so much attention down to soccer in Miami and soccer in America.”

As for what comes next for Kochen, he continues to play for Barca Atletic and even saved a penalty this past week in a 4-0 clean sheet win over CD Ibiza-Pitiusas. Meanwhile the media continues to speculate about a potential loan.  

DIEGO KOCHEN SAVES A PENALTY pic.twitter.com/UvtsHd4fi6

— ArsenKveFCB (@ArsenKveFCB) January 4, 2026

For the national team, the goalkeeping position is one of the team’s concerns as Matt Freese has started most of the games in 2025 with Matt Turner also in the mix. After the World Cup, it remains to be seen as a new manager will likely have a different perspective.

But for the time being, Kochen will almost certainly continue to be part of the U.S. U-21 team that will transition to the U-23 Olympic team in the fall. Like most Americans, Kochen grew up watching that tournament and being part of it on home soil would be a special moment. For now, it remains a top priority for him.

“I'm not going to lie, it's one of the tournaments I most look forward to playing because it's something I've been watching ever since I was a little kid,” Kochen said of the Olympics. “I think the most prestigious tournament in all sports and it would be an honor to represent my country - especially in 2028 when it's on home soil. It'd be a wonderful experience.”