Ben Olsen had no intention of becoming a professional soccer player when he first entered the University of Virginia a decade and a half ago, and he had no idea while he was there that a new American soccer league was even about to be launched.
But by departing Charlottesville to become Major League Soccer’s first college signing in December of 1997, Olsen launched what will be remembered as a pioneering American soccer journey, one inextricably linked to both MLS and the overall growth of the game in the U.S.
“There were a lot of other players that the league was talking to at the time,” said United president and CEO Kevin Payne. “They were all waiting to see what Ben was going to do, the whole first group. Ben was the cork in the bottle, and then when he said, ‘OK, I’m going to do it,’ that gave a tremendous vote of confidence to the league on behalf of those younger players.”
Olsen, who retired Tuesday, played 11 seasons for D.C. United as well as for the U.S. national team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2006 World Cup, quite an accomplishment for a multi-sport athlete who also dabbled in basketball and tennis, and one that is far more unlikely today.
“I think [young soccer players are] starting to become more of your stereotypical professional athlete,” said Olsen. “They’re bred. They’ve got it in their head at a young age to be a professional athlete, and they go after it … I think at some level they might more seasoned when they come in. But sometimes you start producing a similar type of player, and that’s why it’s important that we get our academy structures in order and moving quickly in the right way.”
Olsen’s expectations of American youth development would seem absurd if weren’t for the successes of the U.S. team — including reaching the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals — and the U.S. game during Olsen’s playing days. But Olsen’s experience also has given him perspective on the future.
“It’s such a crapshoot, the World Cup, for me,” said Olsen. “It’s so tough to say when [the U.S. is] going to win the World Cup. Soccer is too difficult. It’s not a game you’d like to bet on, put it that way. When are we going to consistently be in the top 16, top eight, top four? I don’t know. I don’t think we’re there now, that’s for sure.”
