Staff & Players Agree, Olsen The Right Man To Lead United
(D.C. United
website, November 2, 2012)
As D.C. United’s
players slowly trickled off the field following a late-October training
session, the sun peeking through the clouds enough to create the illusion of
warmth, Ben Olsen stuck around. Olsen,
United’s 35-year-old coach, stood at the near end of the pitch with assistant
coach Chad Ashton and lined up soccer balls outside the area. Wearing a United pullover and long black
pants with white stripes lining the sides, Olsen gauged his competition: Bill
Hamid, D.C.’s freakishly athletic goalkeeper.
“I’ve got two
shots,” he said. “I’ve got the dipper and I’ve got the curler. Which one you
want?” Olsen’s voice strained and his
teeth clenched as the word “want” left his mouth the instant his right foot
struck the first ball. “I’m like fire
and ice, baby,” Olsen said, confidently referencing Blades of Glory. As more quotes spewed from Olsen’s mouth with
joyful ease, the duo of coaches peppered the 21-year-old ’keeper, who was doing
all he could to not be scored on by his manager. “That’s some hot, hot Tabasco.”
Another ball into
the top corner of the net, not unlike the brilliant shot Olsen unleashed during
his playing days to record a hat trick at RFK Stadium in June 2007 against New
York. “Ahhhhhhhhh, damnit.” A near miss. He jumped in a circle. Olsen hit a few more before walking toward
the sideline, his head slightly bowed and his arms dangling at his sides. The face of D.C. United’s rebirth has work to
do.
COACH OLSEN
Since taking over
the most successful franchise in MLS history fulltime in November 2010, Olsen
has steadily grown comfortable in the manager’s role, moving beyond the sting
of a playing career cut short by a series of ankle injuries. Whether from his youthful exuberance, his
tactical expertise or his commitment to the organization – or likely a
combination of all three – Olsen has led United to a place where the team
hasn’t been since, well, when Olsen was running inside the white lines instead
of along them – the playoffs. Now on the
verge of the club’s first postseason match since 2007, arguably Olsen’s finest
season on the field with D.C., it’s becoming clear why General Manager Dave
Kasper and President and CEO Kevin Payne committed to Olsen becoming the coach
at such a young age. “Everyone wants to
be around Ben,” says Kasper. “He’s got this personality that’s
self-deprecating. While he’s intense, he’s also light-hearted. You can have a
laugh with him. The litmus test of a successful coach is players playing for
you. They have to like you and want to work for you. They certainly do that for
Ben.”
As a player,
Olsen was feisty. Heck, even nasty at times, fueled by a relentless passion for
competition and being better than the other guy. It has been a constant
give-and-take for Olsen learning to balance those traits with those of many
mild-mannered MLS coaches. Ashton and
Kasper have agreed Olsen’s calmed down a bit since shifting roles, but his
passion hasn’t waned. Nor have the theatrics. Following each of D.C.’s final
two goals against Columbus the night United clinched a playoff spot in front of
the home supporters, Olsen let loose. After the equalizer by Marcelo Saragosa,
he jumped into the arms of Ashton, who lifted Olsen up as they celebrated. On
Lewis Neal’s game-winner in extra time, Olsen jumped on the metal bench, only
to realize everyone else had stood up off the bench. He nearly toppled over.
“He made the
transition from a player to a coach, so he gets it,” center back Brandon
McDonald said of Olsen. “He’s a players’ coach, so for us going in, you can sit
down and talk to him and he’ll be honest with you.” He’ll school you, too. Even with ankles that
have gone through multiple surgeries, every time Olsen slips on a pinnie and
joins his players in a training session he displays flashes of what made him
one of the best players to ever wear a black D.C. kit. “I think a lot of guys want to kick him, to be
honest with you,” said center back Dejan Jakovic said, who was a teammate of
Olsen’s in 2009. “They don’t like when he comes in because he still has it.
He’s a great player. He hasn’t lost much.”
In just under
three seasons as coach, the learning curve has been kind to Olsen, whose
scruffy beard seemingly possesses the ability to regenerate overnight. Entering
his first full season at the helm in 2011, Olsen led United to a 9-13-12 record
following the worst year in club history.
“He works at it,” Ashton said. “He spends a lot of hours thinking about
the game, studying the game, and all of that’s starting to show up.” As Olsen works, he carries around rolled up
tubes of paper, or maybe a small, folded sheet that he’ll slowly tear apart,
piece by piece. Something to keep himself moving, to keep his mind occupied
before tackling the next task.
PLAYER'S COACH
In leading his
2012 side to the playoffs, Olsen’s task wasn’t easy. In fact, it was compounded
greatly when reigning MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario was injured in September and
ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. Olsen immediately shifted the team’s
personality, imploring the group to become more defensive-minded and work
better as a unit. The result was astounding. Bolstered by successful substitutions
and a commitment to defense, United finished the regular season 5-0-2 and
grabbed the second seed in the Eastern Conference, a stark contrast to their
1-5-1 collapse to end 2011.
“That only
happens if you get the backing of the guys,” said player/assistant coach Josh
Wolff. “As a player, you want your coach to believe in you. You want your coach
to make you feel you’re just as important as your star. It’s something that’s
reflected in the fact of how we all react and respond when we do well.” For all of Olsen’s success as a player – the
1993 National High School Player of the Year, the 1997 Soccer America Player of
the Year at Virginia, two MLS Cup Titles, MLS Rookie of the Year, and award
after award after award – he’s about as genuine as it gets. Kasper said he’s
the type of guy who could run for Mayor of D.C. if he wanted.
Earlier this
season, after Olsen was inducted into United’s Hall of Tradition, he was asked
about the honor during the post-game press conference: “It’s always tough,” he
said. “As a coach, individual awards don’t mean what they used to. As a player,
that’s all I played for.” Olsen smiled
and waited for the laugh before he issued a mild-mannered, “just kidding.” “You see a drive and a motivation to succeed
because he’s been this organization for 15 years and now he carries a lot of
responsibility in moving this organization forward,” Wolff said.
The Thursday
before Olsen’s first playoff game as a coach, and many of his players’ first
taste of the postseason as well, Olsen spoke about moving away from the past.
About this group creating its own signature moments – the ones he and so many
of those who are passionate about the organization look back upon with pride. Even if Olsen’s comments were lost in the
shuffle of the playoff hoopla, there were plenty of other voices that echoed
his sentiment. Just ask his players. “That’s why Ben’s here,” Hamid said. “He
brings that experience into the locker room and gives us that faith we need,
that courage and desire to work hard in the game. If we do that, we will start
writing our own history.”
No comments:
Post a Comment