The second year of the Ben Olsen era is in full swing at RFK Stadium, and the changes in the former midfielder's demeanor are obvious. A more confident Olsen now commands practices with his trademark shrill voice, his cat-like quickness evident when he leaps to his feet to correct a mistake. Gone are the days of Olsen jumping into nearly every drill, perhaps evidence of a player stuck in a coach's body.
"I've told myself that this year I'm not going to play as much," Olsen told Nick Firchau in a recent interview for ExtraTimeRadio. "I don't think it's good when the head coach is playing all the time. He needs to be watching and evaluating as much as possible."
Add communicating to the list of things Olsen has made an effort to do more of in his second season at the helm of the Black-and-Red. During nearly every session, the young coach has made a habit of pulling players aside for quick - but intimate - chats. Far more important than the tactics and instructions discussed, Olsen is building relationships with the men he will come to rely on over the next few months.
"A big part of his job is to make sure that those guys trust him," assistant coach Chad Ashton said when discussing Olsen's development as a coach. "He needs to know on a daily basis where guys are at - where's their health? where's their head? - and he's really good at that, it comes real natural to him."
"How you manage players day to day becomes a real important piece that maybe he didn't have the full grasp of in his first year as a head coach," added veteran forward Josh Wolff, himself a few months older than Olsen. "You've got to look at your experience and make the changes necessary and I think with the help of Pat [Onstad] and Chad [Ashton] he's going to have a very prosperous second year."
It would be wonderful for Olsen if, come October, United's campaign is labeled as prosperous. But however the upcoming season turns out, there is one word fans are unlikely to hear from D.C.'s leader in 2012. On multiple occasions last year, Olsen stated publicly that the job wasn't 'fun', a serious approach that hasn't changed in year two.
"I don't know if fun is really the word for this job," Olsen said during the appearance on the MLSsoccer.com podcast. "I hope it becomes fun at some point. I also told myself to enjoy this ride a little bit, but it is pressure packed and it is pretty consuming. But I feel comfortable in my own skin as a coach now."
Olsen and United open the MLS season on Saturday against Sporting Kansas City at 7:30 PM ET. Buy tickets
