Benjamin Robert Olsen was born on May 3,1977 and is an American sports executive, soccer coach, and former professional player who was formerly the president of Washington Spirit, a professional women's soccer club in the National Women's Soccer League.
39 Facts About Ben Olsen
2.
Ben Olsen is currently the head coach of Houston Dynamo FC in Major League Soccer.
3.
Ben Olsen then played for Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer and was named 1997 Soccer America Player of the Year.
4.
Ben Olsen spent the vast majority of his professional career in the United States with DC United in Major League Soccer, which he joined straight out of college.
5.
Ben Olsen earned 37 caps with the United States men's national team, winning the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and representing the United States at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
6.
Ben Olsen announced his retirement from professional competition on November 24,2009.
7.
Ben Olsen played his youth soccer for premier team FC Delco, where he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.
8.
Ben Olsen attended Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary School and Middletown Area High School, where he was named Parade magazine's National High School Player of the Year in 1993.
9.
Ben Olsen was motivated to play college soccer at the University of Virginia because the team had just won four NCAA Division I Championships and was coached by Bruce Arena, who had previously coached Ben Olsen when he was 14 to 15 years old.
10.
Ben Olsen entered the league as a Project-40 player, and was allocated to DC United on December 27,1997, shortly after finishing his junior season at UVA.
11.
In 1998 Ben Olsen excelled as a right midfielder with United.
12.
Ben Olsen finally returned in July 2002 and was able to finish the season with 7 starts and 10 games played.
13.
In 2003 Ben Olsen completed a full season with United for the first time in four years.
14.
Ben Olsen started 26 games for the team, while scoring 4 goals and making 7 assists.
15.
Ben Olsen ended the year with seven goals and seven assists and was named to the MLS Best XI team.
16.
Ben Olsen had surgery on both of his ankles in Baltimore on November 5,2007.
17.
On May 2,2009 Ben Olsen injured himself during a game against FC Dallas, which led him to be substituted out during the second half.
18.
On July 17,2012 United announced that Ben Olsen would be inducted into the DC United Hall of Tradition before a match against the New England Revolution scheduled for September 15.
19.
Ben Olsen at one time seemed like the right midfielder of the future for the US national team, as he received his first cap soon after his Rookie of the Year season, on November 6,1998 against Australia, and he was a significant player for the team in the 1999 season.
20.
Ben Olsen scored his first international goal during his first international start, which was against Chile on February 21,1999.
21.
Ben Olsen received a cross from Brian McBride during the 58th minute.
22.
Ben Olsen then hit a side volley past goalie Marcelo Ramirez into the left corner of the goal.
23.
Ben Olsen scored in injury time when John O'Brien passed him the ball after a corner kick.
24.
Ben Olsen earned 35 caps in all, scoring 6 goals for the United States.
25.
Only three days earlier Ben Olsen stated in an online chat hosted by The Washington Post that he was committed to playing another year.
26.
At the time of his retirement Ben Olsen ranked second in games played, minutes played, game-winning goals, third in assists and shots on goal for United.
27.
Ben Olsen has been called the heart and soul of DC United and, over the years, that is exactly what we've come to expect from him.
28.
Since he joined our team as the League's first Project-40 player until his last game in the 2009 season, Ben Olsen gave all that he had for his team and his teammates.
29.
On January 5,2010 United announced that Ben Olsen would continue to work for United as an assistant coach under head coach Curt Onalfo.
30.
Ben Olsen signed a three-year guaranteed contract that made him United's seventh head coach in club history and youngest full-time head coach in the league's 15-year history.
31.
In 2014, Ben Olsen was named MLS Coach of the Year, helping DC United win the MLS Eastern Conference regular season title after finishing in last in 2013.
32.
In 2019, Ben Olsen became the youngest head coach in MLS to reach 100 wins as a manager, achieving the title at 41 years old.
33.
On October 8,2020, DC United announced that Ben Olsen departed from his role of head coach.
34.
On November 8,2022, Ben Olsen was named head coach of Houston Dynamo.
35.
Ben Olsen is a licensed minister and presided over the nuptials of his then-teammate, Nick Rimando, in 2005.
36.
Ben Olsen is married to Megan Schoen, a teacher at Takoma Park Middle School.
37.
The couple later featured in a popular TV commercial for Dick's Sporting Goods, in which Ben Olsen enjoys an impromptu soccer skills exhibition with fellow MLS players Brian Ching, Duilio Davino and Christian Gomez, before he and Megan chase their screen son, "Dawson", out of the store when he has the temerity to ask for a David Beckham jersey.
38.
Ben Olsen has rented out the apartment below his Northwest, Washington, DC town house to numerous teammates, including to DC United goalkeeper Zach Wells during the 2008 season.
39.
Ben Olsen was featured on the North American cover of FIFA 2001.