Coach replaces Nowak for the game July 25
D.C. United coach Ben Olsen was named coach of the MLS team that will face Chelsea in the MLS All-?Star Game on July 25. He replaces Philadelphia Union coach Peter Nowak, who was slated to coach the game before being fired last week.
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Nowak had been named because the All-Star Game takes place at PPL Park, the Union’s home stadium in Chester, Pa., outside of Philadelphia.
Instead, the 35-year-old Olsen will take over less than two years after taking the reins at D.C. United (9-4-3), which is in first place in the Eastern Conference and one of Philadelphia’s immediate geographic rivals.
The game marks a minor homecoming for Olsen, who hails from Middletown, Pa., just across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, and played for the Philadelphia-area FC Delco as a youth.
“It’s an honor,” Olsen said. “This league’s been a huge part of my life, both playing and coaching. It’s given me a lot, and to represent them on a big stage like this is a real honor for me. But ultimately, I think this recognition comes from this group of guys and doing a pretty good job up until this point. It’s recognition for my staff, who’ve done a great job always helping out a young coach and daily keeping this place afloat.”
One player who certainly won’t be around for the All-Star Game is midfielder Andy Najar, who was named to the roster of the Honduran under-23 national team that will compete in the London Olympics late next month.
Najar will join the national team July 2 and could miss as many as four D.C. United matches.
The Hondurans, who finished second in the same CONCACAF qualification tournament in which the U.S. team was unexpectedly eliminated, play their first Olympic match against Morocco on July 26 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.
Honduras is also paired with Spain and Japan in Group D. With 16 teams in the men’s Olympic competition, the top two finishers from each of four groups advance to the knockout round, which begins Aug.?4.
