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
focus guilty maybe move nowhere playoffs tough
Sometimes it's tough when you are already in the playoffs and there is nowhere to move up or down to maybe focus as much. I think we were guilty of that tonight.
biggest game goal goals last national special team whether
That was a very special goal and probably one of the biggest goals I've ever scored. Whether that's my last game in a while with the national team is up in the air.
good regret run sure
I tell myself I'm going to give it one good run and make sure I don't regret anything.
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.
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.
bet national people
I bet a lot of people didn't think I would be back on the national team.
deals high learn lessons move punished school teacher
My girlfriend's a high school teacher and she told me it's just like a 16-year-old, ... She deals with them every day. They say things and they spout off and then they get punished and they learn lessons or they don't learn lessons. He got punished and now we move on.
certainly heads hopefully opportunity turn
This year, he's going to hopefully turn some heads and give us a lot more. His opportunity to play will certainly be more, and that's key.
adjust chance confident definitely good team
We thought they were a good team, but definitely a beatable team. We feel pretty confident we can come back with a result. The Pumas trip, we didn't know what to expect. I think we have a better chance in Chile. We feel more prepared, we feel we know what this team is about, their strengths, and we can adjust and adapt.
game help nerves nervous yes
Yes, yes a lot. I was probably more nervous for this game than I have been in a long time. Nerves help sometimes, though.
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.
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.
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.
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.