Barcelona faced a 2-3 defeat against Mexican champions Club America in a mid-season friendly held in the USA last night. The Blaugrana, coming off a 3-2 La Liga victory against Almeria, traveled to Dallas for this revenue-boosting encounter.
Despite the loss, Barcelona achieved their primary goal of generating nearly €5 million from the friendly. This match provided a valuable opportunity for several young players to experience senior football in an unofficial setting.
Among those seizing the chance was goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who made history in Dallas. With Marc-Andre ter Stegen injured, Inaki Pena became the first-choice goalkeeper, Ander Astralaga the second, and Kochen the third. Kochen, who faced early-season setbacks due to lower back problems, found the Club America game particularly gratifying.
In the match, Kochen entered the field for the final thirty minutes, replacing Astralaga and making history as the youngest debutant goalkeeper in Barça’s history, including friendly matches (17y 9m 2d), according to SPORT. Notably, counting friendly matches, Oier Olazábal was the previous youngest Blaugrana goalkeeper to debut at 17 years, 10 months, and 22 day
This milestone was even more special for Kochen as he made his unofficial first-team debut for Barcelona in his homeland, the USA. The 17-year-old goalkeeper is highly regarded as one of the best emerging talents from La Masia, having previously debuted for Barça Atletic in a friendly in Olot at the age of 16 during the previous season.
