Ben Olsen Q&A

United’s Head Coach discusses the team’s progress during the first preseason camp

February 3, 2012

Nicolas Fernandez / dcunited.com

The first stage of preseason is officially over. After eleven days of training, gym sessions, treatments and two scrimmages in Florida, United’s Head Coach has a much better sense of how his team is shaping up. As the team gets ready to depart for Arizona on Monday, Ben Olsen spoke about the team’s development, the depth of his squad and what needs to be done before the season kicks-off on March 10.

What are your overall thoughts on the first preseason trip?

I think we accomplished a lot. We still have a couple of guys coming back from injuries, so we had a good chance to look at the trialists and figure out which direction we are going to go in the Arizona camp.

Can you evaluate the team’s performance in the two scrimmages? How much improvement did you see between the first and second game?

Overall, I’m pleased with the effort. The rhythm was off at times, but that’s pretty normal at this stage. I think we addressed a lot of the things we wanted to work on as we continue to work on our identity.

Where does the team stand in comparison to last year’s preseason?

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It’s too early to tell. On paper, it’s a very exciting group and I can’t wait to get everybody healthy and fit. So, we have a lot of work to do in the next two camps to make sure we are getting on the same page and ready for the season opener [March 10th vs. Sporting Kansas City].

How do you feel about the team building process so far? What can you tell us about the team chemistry?

That part is fantastic, I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys right now. They are very professional off the field, but they also enjoy themselves and enjoy going through this process together.

You seem to be adding depth to every position, creating competition for every player, even the starters. What impact does this have on the team?

First and foremost, I think it keeps everyone on their toes. I think everybody realizes that each spot on this team has at least two options right now. That’s the way we always want to build a team. It came together even better than we thought with our options. Again – this is all on paper. We still have to get into the mix and see how we do in real game situations. But it’s a competition, and the players seem to be embracing it.

What can you tell us about United’s new Designated Player Hamdi Salihi? What effect do you expect him to have on your team?

Every time a new guy comes in there is a learning process. I know he has a pretty remarkable strike rate, but we have to be patient. He is a great goal scorer, but it also takes time to gel with new teammates and get familiar with what we want from him. Hopefully, we can speed up his adaptation and get him to do what he does best – which is scoring goals.

How pleased are you with your squad? Do you feel you are getting close to the team you envisioned prior to the start of preseason?

There’s been a lot of hard work in the offseason. Dave Kasper, in particular, has done a great job in giving us options, finding players that fit the way we want to play. Credit him a lot on how this all came about. We didn’t panic; we wanted to make sure we made the right decision on players. So, we passed on some guys during the offseason that might have worked and focused on making the right moves rather than rushing things just to get numbers in.

What are the main aspects to focus on as you move into the second phase of preseason? What changes will you make in Arizona?

We are going to continue working on our identity, getting everybody on the same page on the field. Things off the field are fine; the guys know what we expect from them. It seems like a group that gets along, now we have to fine-tune how we want to play and let the competition roll for spots.