... so we just kept the recorder on. Enjoy.
D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen
On his comeback
"So today was a positive step, saying that, talk to me tomorrow morning. You know this thing from day to day can change. So that’s where I’m at. It’s kind of exhausting in a lot of ways, you play and you feel, ‘aw man, today I felt great.’ The next day, you wake up, and it’s not easy to walk up the stairs for a while, so that’s some of the challenges that I have and the trainers, and the coaches. I mean they’re not going to put me out there if I’m going to hurt the team. They’re going evaluate me just like anyone else one the team and I’m sure they’ll be open to my management of playing time and practice time and helping me out so I can try and get through the season."
"It’s better now, the last couple weeks I’ve been managing to warm it up. Some days are tough but, when I have had the tough days, the last couple weeks, I just keep going. I want to see, I want to press this thing, and I wanted to make sure if I do come back and try and go through preseason, I don’t want to waste people’s time. I don’t want to waste D.C. United’s time right now. There are days where I’m not 100 percent, but again, I’ll have to be the judge of that and manage that. We have a good training staff and coaching staff who are willing to help me out in that."
"The fitness stuff has kind of been on the back burner. The season will be more about, I think, if the ankle is ok, I think the fitness will take care of itself. I certainly wasn’t going to go crazy before the season with a lot of the pounding and stuff, and that’s management, managing the stuff that I’m going to have to deal with. And I dealt with it before. I did it two years ago – the reason I went in for these surgeries was because I had some stuff going on in the ankles and I ended up having the previous season because I learned to manage myself and not over train, and really save it for the times that matter. It’s tough, you don’t feel when guys are working everyday and some days you’re just like ‘can’t do it.’ I don’t like to do that. But it’s something I’m going to have to do, sit myself down when the guys are out there playing, and doing some of the fitness stuff, some of the team building stuff that I probably won’t be a part of."
"You talk to me on any given day and it was a different answer. I just didn’t know and I wrestled with the decision, but how can you give this up? How can you not try and get another year out? Come to practice with these guys, it’s a great group, a great organization. I’m not ready to step into that next career whatever it may be, I still feel like I have a lot to give, and sometimes you’re not fortunate enough to get that chance but if I have a glimmer of hope I’m going to go ahead and see what I can do."
On the inauguration
"It was a pretty special day for me to be a part of. The energy there and the positivity that was going around was something that I was really thankful that I had a chance to see."
