Former D.C. United coach Ben Olsen hired to lead MLS’s Houston Dynamo
FILE – In this Aug. 14, 2010, file photo, Houston Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear, left, joins with his former D.C. United coach Ben Olsen at a press conference at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Olsen, who led D.C. United to MLS Cup championships and the 2002 U.S. Open Cup, will be the head coach of the Houston Dynamo. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File) (The Associated Press)
FILE – In this Aug. 14, 2010, file photo, Houston Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear, left, joins with his former D.C. United coach Ben Olsen at a press conference at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Olsen, who led D.C. United to MLS Cup championships and the 2002 U.S. Open Cup, will be the head coach of the Houston Dynamo. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File) (The Associated Press)
HOUSTON – While D.C. United’s first MLS championship seemed far away, it was right around the corner.
Former D.C. United coach Ben Olsen took over the Houston Dynamo on the eve of the team’s first MLS match of the season after Houston fired Péguy and fired former general manager Mike Brown. Olsen, a former United star, played for the club at a time when it was on the brink of winning the MLS Cup three times. Olsen was known as a hard-working coach who kept his players out of trouble, but he didn’t always deliver an easy ride.
In his first game as D.C. United’s head coach, he’ll face a much more difficult task: trying to turn around an 11-year playoff exit, which is coming on the back of a loss to Kansas City in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals and a loss to Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final.
“The best thing about this is it’s exactly what you’d do in our situation,” Olsen said. “You’d get some young players, some veteran players,
