Making The Case: Diego Kochen For Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Male Player Of The Year
Goalkeeper Earns First Nomination After Serving as Leader During U-17 MYNT’s Return to the Field
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After helping lead the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Youth National Team as it returned to action this year, goalkeeper Diego Kochen has been named a finalist for 2022 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year.
For the second year in a row, fans will have the opportunity to vote on select Player of the Year Awards, with the fan vote comprising 15% of the total vote. Nominees for all awards are selected by U.S. Soccer’s technical staff. Voting for the awards starts Thursday, Dec. 15 at 11:00 a.m. ET and closes on Dec. 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced in the weeks that follow.
- VOTE NOW: Fan Voting for Player of the Year Awards
Let’s take a look at some of Kochen’s highlights from 2022:
- Started five of the U-17s’ eight matches on the year, logging 450 minutes.
- Backstopped the U.S. during two of three games at May’s UEFA Development Tournament in Portugal, where the USA topped the table against Italy, Belgium and Portugal.
- Working his way through the ranks at FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy.
- Joined the Spanish giant in 2021 and spent time this summer training with Barcelona B before playing with the club’s U-18 squad.