Ben Olsen
Ben Olsen
Benjamin Robert "Ben" Olsenis an American former professional soccer player and the current head coach of D.C. United. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Olsen grew up playing for FC Delco, an elite club program near Philadelphia. He later attended the University of Virginia, when he was named 1997 Soccer America Player of the Year...
ProfessionSoccer Player
Date of Birth3 May 1977
CityHarrisburg, PA
biggest deal goals guys kept league remind
I kept having to remind the guys that I had scored goals in this league before, ... They all thought it was the biggest deal in the world for me.
against best chance entire focus gets guy hang league minutes plays sudden
He plays very well against us every time, and he's a handful. He's one of the best forwards this league has ever seen, and he's going to do what he does. We need to not give him chances, and be aware, because he's a guy who can hang out for 30 minutes or 80 minutes, and then all of a sudden he gets that one chance and you're down 1-0. We need to focus on him the entire game.
game ideal played soccer
It's not ideal ... but we'll see. It's still a soccer game out there; I've played in a couple. It should come back pretty quickly.
belong cup prove
Everybody's here to prove that they belong on the World Cup team.
beat beautiful maybe passion rivalry side stuff team
It's just D.C.-MetroStars stuff -- that's how they all are and that's how it's going to be. That's the beautiful side of a rivalry -- it's heated, there's passion and maybe you want to beat them more than another team because it's such a heated rivalry.
battle fought good happens intensity played soccer time year
It's that time of the year when the intensity is raised. It happens every year, and I think we responded very well. We fought the battle and we also played some pretty good soccer in the meantime.
against atmosphere bit builds character excited games good redeem remembered saw taste type win
It's going to be loud, it's going to be festive, it's going to be fun. When you look back at your career, these type of games are going to be remembered -- the trip, the fans, everyone against you. If you can win in a good atmosphere like that, it builds a lot of character for a team. I'm excited to see how we respond. We saw it in the Pumas game, so we got a taste of it, and we're champing at the bit to redeem ourselves.
far freddy learned maybe
It's done as far as I'm concerned. Freddy maybe learned a lesson. He said some stuff, he got punished, and now it's done.
biggest deal early good success
It's still early, and being in first place right now isn't the biggest deal in the world. But it is the two first-place teams. We know they've had some early success and they're a good team, as good as they come right now -- and I think they know we're as good as it comes right now.
best coming died goals happen help knowledge mania people player pressure score season soccer takes
I think, fortunately, some of the mania has died down for him. That can help all parties. It takes a little of the pressure off him. The expectations coming in for him were unrealistic. The people who don't have any knowledge about soccer thought he'd come in and score 15 goals a season and be the best player in the league. It doesn't happen like that. It's a process.
behind cup given goal nice opportunity others stayed tough
The realization right now is that we have one cup to play for. All the others are gone, and we've had some tough losses, but they're completely behind us. It's unfortunate and fortunate. It would've been nice to have stayed in those tournaments but it has also given us the opportunity to have one goal in sight.
came earn gave gotten great grow mind needs time
I think he had to grow up pretty quick. He hasn't gotten too many breaks. No one gave him anything once he came into the league. He's had to earn what he has now. I think he's doing a great job. I think he's on course. Keep in mind he's 16 years old. He needs time to develop.
games hard losing ourselves shooting teams tough turn winning
The frustrating part is that we are losing these games -- I don't necessarily think these teams are winning them. We're just shooting ourselves in the foot, over and over. These are tough times and I know we're going to turn it around, but it's hard right now.
good regret run sure
I tell myself I'm going to give it one good run and make sure I don't regret anything.