Who is Josh Cohen? Unheralded American goalkeeper set for Champions League spotlight

The California native is one of the least likely Americans to ever reach the Champions League group stage

The list of American players featuring in the Champions League group stage usually reads like a who’s who of the country’s best-known stars.

This year is no different: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Giovanni Reyna are just a few of the USMNT players set to feature.

But then, there’s Josh Cohen.

Wait, who?

If you haven’t heard of the 30-year-old goalkeeper, you aren’t alone. Cohen’s path to the game’s biggest stage was as circuitous as they come, taking him on a tour of the American lower leagues before a move to Israeli side Maccabi Haifa gave him his big break.

Cohen’s journey in the U.S.

After playing at Division II UC San Diego, Cohen’s pro journey began with the Burlingame Dragons of the semi-pro PDL.

From there he moved on to the Orange County Blues and then to Phoenix Rising, where he became a starter in the USL. He then returned to his home state of California with Sacramento Republic FC.

Cohen really broke through with Sacramento, establishing himself as one of the USL’s best goalkeepers. Still, a move to MLS never seemed like it would happen.

“As I got further along in my USL career, I learned more about how professional soccer works in the U.S.,” Cohen told The Athletic in 2020.

“I was very naive when I first got into it. MLS has their way of thinking and the coaches, the GMs and decision makers, they view American players in a certain way. Once you have been profiled as an American USL player, it’s very hard to break out of that stigma.”

Cohen moves to Israel

With his path to MLS seemingly blocked, Cohen looked abroad for his next move. By virtue of being Jewish, he was able to join Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa without occupying an international slot.

In Haifa, Cohen has taken his game to the next level and experienced success beyond any reasonable expectations.

Case in point: the 2020-21 season. Not only did Maccabi Haifi win the Israeli Premier League title, but Cohen was named the league’s player of the season — a rare honor for a goalkeeper.

Haifi won the title again last season, reaching this year’s Champions League qualifying rounds. But unlike last season, the Israeli club successfully navigated the gauntlet of the qualifying rounds by getting past Olympiacos, Apollon Limassol, and finally Red Star Belgrade to reach the coveted group stage.

That means six high-profile matches against some of Europe’s biggest sides — not bad for a player who never played Division 1 college soccer or in MLS. The road to success has been winding for Cohen, but he’s reached a level that most American players will only ever dream about.

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