Ben Olsen is out as D.C. United head coach.

The move, announced in Thursday, is no surprise as D.C. United has the worst record in MLS this season with a 2-9-5 mark and is winlessin its last seven games, dropping 4-0 and 4-1 decisions in its last two games.

It comes less than two weeks after a source told the Washington Post that Olsen was sitting on a “scalding-hot seat.”

Olsen joined D.C.United in 1998 out of the University of Virginia, where he played under Bruce Arena. He was on Arena’s last Virginia team and last D.C. United team — he lived in Arena’s basement during hisfirst MLS season — and won eight titles as a player during his MLS career. He took over as head coach in 2010 as led D.C. United to the 2013 U.S. Open Cup title.

D.C. United reached theplayoffs in five of the last six seasons. In 2018, its first at Audi Field, United went on a spectacular run after the arrival of Wayne Rooney. But the English star left midway though the 2019season in a surprise move and United has not been the same team since.

In Olsen’s final game, a 4-1 loss to NYCFC, he started three teenagers: Griffin Yow, 18, KevinParedes, 17, and Moses Nyeman, 16.

“Ben has been a fabric of the D.C. United organization for more than two decades, including his role as head coach for the last 10years, and we are forever grateful for his contributions and leadership,” said Jason Levien, the D.C. United co-chairman and CEO. “Over the course of his 22 years with the club, Benhas been a total professional and has represented this organization with incredible class and distinction. It is our sincere hope and belief that Ben will continue to have a big impact on theorganization.”

Assistant coach Chad Ashton will step in as interim coach.

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6 Comments

  1. D.C, United needs to totally start  all over again, as far as player personell and type game played. This is the nations capitol and therefore our style of soccer needs a more classy type of game, but instead all you see is a blue-collar  ,uninspiring type of soccer. DC United needs to bring in a player that you want to come to the stadium, to watch and play. OK, we brought in Wayne Rooney, a ‘blue collar’ type of star that fits the blue collar type of team. Think of Cruyff playing with the Diplomats, or Zlatan with the Galaxy….DC United needs to bring a quality type of player along with lifting their style of game a notch. 

    It is a good time now for DC United management to take stock and change their philosophy of blue collar type of game and CHANGE to a more exciting direction, which, perhaps,  means also to changing those responsible in recruiting the type of players in the past few years for DC United, bringing in a new playing philosophy…

  2. They could do a lot worse than go back to the early years and an attack built around South American players.

  3. Bob, They need foreign players in the league as shown for Americans don’t have the quality, but bringing in foreign players is not a guarantee for a good quality, exciting soccer as is shown with DC United, or even Atlanta with its foreign players. DC United has not trailblazed the league, the soccer is boring and it needs to change. 

  5. yes, true, Marco Etcheverry…He was one of the very few in the MLS or perhaps the only one at the the  time who passed the ball with a ‘feel’, considering the MLS balls were heavy and hard.  He did a wonderful job when passing the ball in the air in short range with such touch on it. Another player was Stoichkov, with his beautiful kicking technique . Whenever Chicago was on 
    TV I would actually watch an MLS game if he played. 

  6. The GM of this franchise needs to go. It seems everything is. This has been a haphazard franchise under his watch. Frank is right this, team has been very dull for a while!

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