Let’s face it, the news that Ben Olsen was confirmed not to be under consideration to become D.C. United’s permanent head coach next season, as explained by team president Kevin Payne, was a bit buried yesterday. That was partly intentional, just so it could fit into the context of Payne’s larger evaluation of the 2010 season. But what Olsen has done and endured for the club since August hasn’t exactly been fun, and it’s certainly not what he signed up for when he decided to become an assistant coach after retiring himself as a player last year. I asked Olsen on Thursday about what he thought of the job, what he was asked to do and how he thought he did:
“Let’s be fair,” said Olsen. “I took over – there’s not that much pressure on me in a lot ways. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but do I think people expected me to turn this thing around and become a playoff team? I don’t’ think so. Maybe I’m wrong. I’ve looked at this as a learning experience. I wouldn’t say that I’ve enjoyed it because of the losses and because of the pressure I’ve put on myself to get results for this club. But I think when I sit down in a week or two and evaluate what I did, I think I’ll be okay with it. I think I feel comfortable in the role. I think that’s more of a question to the guys and to other people around me on evaluating me.”
Olsen was also asked about his own perception of how the season has affected Payne.
“This is Kevin’s baby,” said Olsen. “He loves this club more than anybody, and he’s done a fantastic job at this club. Teams have down years, and he gets a lot of heat for it. [United general manager] Dave [Kasper] has gotten heat. We’ve all gotten heat, that’s how it goes. This is the business we’re in. I think Kevin can take it, and he’s done a good job of listening to the fans and hearing them out, especially recently. I don’t know too many presidents that would do that. I think it shows that he cares about the fans’ point of view and listening to them. Again, nobody is having fun with the way this season has turned out. Saying that, there’s a lot of talent that locker room. There’s a lot of guys that are going to be a part of a winning tradition the next couple years.”
