La Masia is home to some of the biggest footballing talents in the world and one of its biggest prospects is 18-year-old Barca Athletic shot-stopper Diogo Kochen. The American goalkeeper has had a great start to the season with Barcelona’s quarry team.
Kochen is considered to be the next in line in a long list of talented shot-stoppers to come out of La Masia. Recent seasons have seen the emergence of Inaki Pena, Arnau Tenas, and Ander Astralaga and the next one could be the American star.
Kochen has been a regular with the lower levels of the US international team so far. Now, as per SPORT, the 18-year-old shot-stopper has been called up to the senior squad for his national team for the first time in his career.
Mauricio Pochettino has taken over as the new head coach of the USMNT but will not be in charge of the upcoming games due to contractual issues. Kochen has a chance to impress if given the opportunity to play and catch the eye of the ex-Tottenham manager.
The 188cm shot-stopper is the perfect player to have in modern-day football and would suit the style that the Argentinian manager likes to deploy. He is comfortable with the ball at his feet and can play as a sweeper-keeper.
Barca Athletic will feel proud to see one of their own to represent his nation at the biggest stage and it remains to be seen if he is given his debut soon. It seems unlikely but the proposition is exciting.
Kochen has a contract with Barcelona until 2028 and if he continues developing as envisioned, it won’t be long before he has a first-team role in Hansi Flick’s squad. One must keep in mind that Marc-Andre Ter Stegen isn’t getting any younger.
Barcelona will need to find a replacement for the German in the future and Kochen might be at the perfect age by then to take over from the club captain. It’s too early to make such a prophecy though and one can only hope the player continues developing as expected and becomes a star in the future.
