D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen has ruled out retirement although he continues to be troubled by lingering ankle problems and may need reconstructive surgery.
“People kind of got the assumption that I was tanking it, was just going to say it’s not worth it doing the surgery,” said Olsen. “I think everybody that knows me knows that I’m a glutton for punishment, and I’ll go through what it takes to get back on the field because I’m not ready. I’m not ready mentally, and I’m not ready physically to hang it up.”
Olsen, who turned 31 last week and hasn’t trained or played this season, his tenth in Major League Soccer, said the signs are pointing toward surgery, and he expects to make a decision sometime in the next couple of weeks to a month.
“We’re going to do it,” said Olsen, “and we’ll do as many as we have to.”
Gallardo a no-go?
There are strong hints that Marcelo Gallardo (groin) will not play Thursday against Chicago. He’s currently listed as questionable along withFred (hamstring), Devon McTavish (foot-ankle), and Domenic Mediate (hamstring), none of whom practiced fully on Tuesday.
United works on Argentina pipeline
D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper said he has identified possible summer signings after last week’s trip to Argentina with United president and CEO Kevin Payne.
Should Olsen be shut down for the season, United could fill his spot on the team’s 28-man roster, his salary ($177,500) will still count toward the team’s cap.
Informal CBA talks underway
MLS commissioner Don Garber said the league has begun informal discussions regarding a new collective bargaining agreement with the MLS players union. The current CBA expires at the end of the 2009 season, but a long and tense negotiation is expected.
“We’ve begun discussions,” said Garber. “We’ve met once or twice. I formulated a committee with our ownership group. We’ve been getting together casually within that group to discuss the status of our negotiations. This is going to be a long process, and we’ve opened it up early.”
