Ben Olsen
Benjamin Robert " Ben" Olsen ( May 3, 1977 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ) is a former American football player. He played over 10 years for D.C. United in Major League Soccer, before he announced his resignation in October 2009.
The physically strong and well-known during his playing days for his great running load Olsen, first played on the right midfield position and moved into the center of midfield later.
Sports career
After he successfully at the high school pursued the sport of football and was in a year, the best player in Pennsylvania, Olsen played three years of college football at the University of Virginia, where he obtained 34 goals with another 41 assists. He was in 1997 for best college player of the year ( " Soccer America Collegiate Player of the Year" ) appointed. He joined the Major League Soccer ( MLS) Player of the program, Project 40, a sponsored by the company Nike joint venture between the MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation United States Soccer Federation ( USSF ), the young football talents in their wanted to help development, and it was on December 27, 1997 the club DC United allocated.
In D.C. United outperformed immediately on the right midfield position all expectations, worked on immediately secured a regular place in the season of 1998 and, after four goals and eight assists for the best newcomer award " MLS Rookie of the Year." In addition, he won with his team the CONCACAF Champions Cup. In the subsequent season, Olsen was able to improve its performance further, scored in 26 games in addition to 11 assists five goals and helped his team to win the third MLS Cup in club history and was in the final with the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. His third season in the capital began promisingly until it broke after a collision with Zach Thornton, the goalie of the Chicago Fire SC, the ankle, thus missed much of the second half of the season and thus came only on 13 missions.
After the injury was healed, Olsen was from DC United on loan at English club Nottingham Forest in the First Division, those responsible impressed there very quickly and became a crowd favorite. Shortly before a permanent commitment by the traditional English club he was injured but again at the ankle and these comparatively much more serious injury ended prematurely Olsen's ambitions for a career in Europe. After the full season in 2001, he missed during his period of convalescence still almost half of the season of 2002, before he could celebrate his comeback after 18 months. He came for the rest of the season to ten inserts and proved in 2003 that he had not lost the connection. Since his lengthy ankle injury much of his speed cost, which had always distinguished him as a winger, he moved to central midfield, where his conversion quickly succeeded because of its above-average intelligence game. In this position, he came in the season of 2004 on 25 missions, scored three goals and earned his second championship. In the following year he completed 23 championship matches, scoring two goals.
In the following season he continued to stop his place and was vice captain of the team. On 20 October 2009, he announced his retirement from professional football.
National
In the National Olsen was long regarded as the ideal person for the right midfield position after his debut on 6 November 1998 against Australia and was for the United States in 1999, a key player. In 2000 he also won the U.S. Cup and was part of the Olympic team, which won the fourth place in Sydney. The numerous injuries ruined but then in addition to his club career and ambitions in the national sustainable.
After his retirement into the center of midfield succeeded Olsen - after previously only sporadic inserts - then his participation in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2005 when he ran aground in four games, the comeback in the selection of Bruce Arena and it was established in 2006 by goals against Guatemala and Jamaica in the squad for the world Cup in Germany.
Coaching career
Shortly after the end of his career as an active soccer player, he was born on January 5, 2010 Assistant coach Curt Onalfo at DC United. In August 2010, he took over the post of head coach after Onalfo was released, as an interim solution. On 29 November 2010 he was confirmed as an official coach.
Trivia
- Olsen paints in his spare time and is concerned primarily with modern art. His brother Jeremy Olsen is also active in modern art.
- He is also a licensed priest and directed the wedding of his former teammates Nick Rimando.
Achievements
- MLS Cup winner: 1999, 2004
- CONCACAF Champions Cup winner: 1998
- U.S. Open Cup winner: 2008