Soccer Insider

Olsen and DCU

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:28:15 -0500

Excerpts from Ben Olsen's news conference: The decision to retire..... "This season was great getting back. I didn't think it was going to happen, but to get back and get through this year, I got through it - let's say - through modern medicine. It was definitely with help of anti-inflammatories and shots and things I don't know how long you want to keep doing. As the season ended, I wanted to cleanse myself from a lot of that stuff and then the reality hit. The ankle showed itself. It spooked me a little bit, it spooked my wife, the way I couldn't carry my child down the stairs at times. You come to a crossroads: At what cost do you come back and play? Anybody who knows me, I think about tomorrow and not next year. I was ready and willing to do it again but fortunately I talked

Olsen Retirement Is Official

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:47:17 -0500

Ben Olsen, D.C. United's tenacious midfielder who was an integral part of two MLS Cup championships and overcame serious ankle injuries to resurrect his career and become perhaps the most popular player in club history, announced his retirement Tuesday at RFK Stadium. Olsen, 32, is likely to remain with the club as an assistant coach once a head coaching position is filled in the coming weeks. "He has defined what United is all about, and he has set a high bar for professional soccer players in the United States," General Manager Dave Kasper said. "In his 12 years at D.C. United, he brought us heart, character, personality, intelligence and championships." Olsen, a native of Middletown, Pa., who starred at the University of Virginia for three years before signing with MLS, is second in United's history in games played and starts, third in assists and seventh in goals. He was the

Olsen's Retirement

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:12:34 -0500

Ben Olsen's news conference announcing his retirement today at RFK Stadium is closed to the public, but live streaming video will be available beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on D.C. United's Web site. Tonight at Verizon Center, the Washington Wizards will salute Olsen -- a big hoops fan -- at the end of the third quarter. In honor of No. 14, tickets to the Wizards-76ers game are available for $14. When news of Olsen's retirement began to circulate, I received an e-mail from Dave Brown, chair and secretary for the South West & M5 branch of the Nottingham Forest Supporters Club in England. (Olsen was on loan at Forest in 2000-01.) "He is and will always remain a part of Nottingham Forest," Brown wrote, "and we are proud to associate his name with us. Wonderful memories, Benny!" The Screaming Eagles pay tribute. Here's a flashback to 2008 with Dan Steinberg's

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Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:12:34 -0500

Tuesday Kickaround

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:48:41 -0500

*Ahead of the MLS expansion draft Wednesday to supply Philadelphia with 10 players from current clubs, D.C. United protected defenders Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic, Julius James and Bryan Namoff; midfielders Fred, Clyde Simms, Danny Szetela and Rodney Wallace; midfielder-forwards Chris Pontius and Santino Quaranta; and forward Jaime Moreno. (Wallace graduated from the Generation Adidas program over the weekend and is no longer exempt from the protection process). Available for selection: Luciano Emilio (giant salary, age), Christian Gomez (big salary, age), Andrew Jacobson (promising central MF), Boyzzz Khumalo (energetic wing), Devon McTavish (versatile MF-D) and rookie MF Brandon Barklage (whom DCU likes a lot). With only 10 rounds in the draft, there's a 33 percent chance DCU will not lose the rights to anyone. For the complete list from which Philadelphia will choose and the draft guidelines, click here. Several unprotected players are coming off long-term injuries, have large salaries that

Olsen, MLS, Wigan, NCAA

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:10:34 -0500

Before I head to the airport for the long flight home to Washington, you should know that: *Ben Olsen's retirement will be made official Tuesday afternoon at RFK Stadium. *MLS clubs have until mid-afternoon today to submit their 11-man protected lists ahead of the expansion draft Wednesday. The league is planning to release the names of players available for selection by Philadelphia at some point today or tonight. *Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney offers his MLS Cup player ratings: RSL -- Rimando 7; Russell 7, Olave 7, Borchers 6, Wingert 6; Williams 5, Beckerman 8, Morales no rating (early injury), Johnson 5; Findley 6, Movsisyan 5. Subs: Mathis 6, Grabavoy 7, Espindola 5. L.A. -- Ricketts 7; Franklin 6, Berhalter 5, Gonzalez 6, Dunivant 6; Beckham 5, Birchall 4, Kirovski 4, Donovan 5; Magee 5, Buddle 4. Subs: Saunders 6, Klein 4, DeLaGarza 5. *A replay of MLS Cup will be

Americans Abroad

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:42:53 -0500

GOALKEEPERS Tim Howard 90 minutes in Everton's 3-0 loss at Manchester United Brad Friedel 90 in Aston Villa's 1-1 tie at Burnley Brad Guzan in 18, didn't play for Aston Villa Marcus Hahnemann in 18, didn't play in Wolves' 4-0 loss at Chelsea David Yelldell 90 in Koblenz's 1-0 win over Aachen Dom Cervi in 18, didn't play in Celtic's 2-1 loss at Dundee United Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern at Union Berlin on Monday

MLS Cup Rewind

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:16:13 -0500

Although MLS Cup '09 was not an artistic masterpiece, it did provide wonderful theater and storylines in crowning Real Salt Lake as champion. A reserve goalkeeper did almost enough in PKs to hand the trophy to the Galaxy for a third time. Nick Rimando won a tiebreaker for the second time in a week and added a second championship ring to his collection. Jason Kreis validated RSL's decision to hand him the coaching duties immediately after retiring. Landon Donovan, the most prolific scorer in national team history and a lethal penalty kick shooter, missed the entire frame, a la Roberto Baggio in the 1994 World Cup final. And of course there was Seattle's match presentation, which provided a big-event vibe to the league's marquee match and an attendance figure (46,011) that exceeded expectations. As of a day ago, organizers had planned to cap tickets at 42,000. That said, how fitting

MLS Cup: Galaxy-RSL

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:55:26 -0500

Greetings from Seattle, where the skies have partially cleared after a stormy morning -- the first extended sunny period in several days. It's breezy and chilly, with temperatures dipping into the upper 30s tonight, but for now, the conditions are pleasant for MLS's grand finale. Between the turf and the wet surface, expect the pitch to play extremely fast. Before we turn our attention to the match, a few things to look forward to this week: *With the expansion draft set for Wednesday to supply 10 players to Philadelphia Union, clubs must submit their 11-man protected roster lists to league headquarters by Monday afternoon. *As we told you exclusively a few days ago, New York is ready to hire a new sporting director: Erik Soler, an executive at Norwegian club Start and a former player agent. *D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen is finalizing paperwork to make his retirement official, so

Sunday Kickaround

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:28:49 -0500

*With MLS Cup kickoff approaching, I take a closer look at the scene in Seattle and an extraordinary inaugural season for the Emerald City. I have attended all 14 Cups (Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America and Michael Lewis of the New York Daily News join me in this elite group), and I have never seen a city embrace the championship game like Seattle has the past few days. Let's hope for a break in the rain pattern, a quality match ... and no penalty kicks. *Seattle weather forecast: 39-45 degrees, 90 percent chance of rain. *Steve Nicol has agreed to a long-term contract extension with the New England Revolution, the Insider has learned. Nicol is MLS's longest-serving head coach, having been in charge since 2002. *Seattle Coach Sigi Schmid was hospitalized for pneumonia Thursday night after experiencing difficulty breathing. His condition has stabilized and he is improving, the Sounders said.

Saturday Kickaround

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:56:26 -0500

*From Maryland to MLS Cup, Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza are a victory from another championship. *Seattle's gloomy forecast..... Today: 46 degrees, windy, 100 percent chance of rain Sunday: low to mid 40s, windy, 70 percent chance of rain *MLS's board of governors met Friday, but from what I understand, no major decisions were reached. However, the league is apparently giving serious consideration to holding MLS Cup at the site of the higher-seeded participant. The biggest obstacles are weather and stadium availability. Well, we've witnessed the match played in the Boston area three times without severe cold, so the risk seems worth taking, even in Toronto (48 degrees and sunny Sunday) or Chicago (54 and sunny). As for the stadiums, only a few would have potential conflicts with football games, but if the league were to commit to the new plan soon, it could ask the NFL and college officials

Beckham Status and MLS Notes

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:40:41 -0500

Galaxy star David Beckham, who has a bone bruise on his right foot and has been wearing a protective boot, says he will play in Sunday's MLS Cup. He will receive injections to manage the pain. Today at Qwest Field, Beckham trained for the first time this week. "We're not anticipating any issues," Coach Bruce Arena said. Much more on the continuation .....

Olsen to Retire

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:45:44 -0500

Ben Olsen, D.C. United's gritty midfielder who overcame severe ankle injuries to resurrect his career this season, has decided to retire, several sources told the Insider. A formal announcement is expected next week. Olsen, 32, is not a candidate for United's head coaching job, sources said, but seems likely to remain with the organization in some capacity, perhaps as an assistant coach. Neither Olsen nor club officials were willing to discuss the matter today. Teams typically refrain from making major announcements in the days leading up to the league's marquee event, MLS Cup, which will take place Sunday night in Seattle (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Enduring pain throughout the season, Olsen had to work with the club to carefully manage his playing time. He ended up playing 20 of 30 regular season matches and started 18. Beyond his contributions on the field -- second in team history in games played

Video: Keane on Henry

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:19:11 -0500

Irishman Roy Keane takes a contrarian view of the Thierry Henry handball controversy and, in typical feisty and combative style, offers a variety of rants. "They should have cleared it. The ball bounced in the six-yard box. ... Would I call him a cheat? Nah, I wouldn't think so. Did he bend the rules a little bit? Yeah. ... France was there for the taking and Ireland never grabbed it. Usual stuff. Afraid of that next step. Mentally not strong enough. They can complain all they want. France is going to the World Cup: Get over it."

Friday Kickaround

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:40:36 -0500

*Thierry Henry says a France-Ireland replay would be the right thing to do. "Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa. There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish." Which brings up the (semi-serious) question: Would Henry be retroactively red- carded for an intentional handball? *Maryland advances to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 2-1 victory over Loyola. Check all the first-round results. *In the women's tournament, Virginia Tech will attempt to continue its best season ever with a visit to Portland tonight for a round-of-16 match. All the pairings are here. *Soccer atop Seattle, with Qwest Field in the background (photo courtesy of MLS):

Weekend TV Listings

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:55:14 -0500

What are you going to watch? SATURDAY Russia, Rubin Kazan-Zenit 6 a.m. ET Setanta England, Liverpool-Manchester City 7:30 a.m. ESPN2 Germany, Schalke-Hanover 9:30 a.m. GolTV England, Sunderland-Arsenal 10 a.m. Fox Soccer Channel England, Chelsea-Wolverhampton 10 a.m. Setanta Spain, Deportivo de Coruna-Atletico Madrid 11:55 a.m. ESPN Deportes Spain, Tenerife-Sevilla noon GolTV