Soccer Insider

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 to enough people and came to my senses, and I think I am making the right decision."

On becoming D.C. United's head coach.....

"I would not like to be considered for the head coaching job and I am in no way ready to step into that role. As far as a role with the club, of course, that is definitely one of the options that might be available down the line. There are a lot of things up in the air with the club and I have to wait like everybody else and see how they unfold. If there is an opportunity, I am all ears. There is other stuff out there. I have some anxiety about what is next, but I am excited to see a new challenge."

The impact of his broken ankle in 2001.....

"I lost a step, for sure. In some aspects I got better. I think I got better a little bit upstairs [smarter] than on the physical side. I was a bad player when I was young. I watched the tape of when I was a rookie and it makes me sick. I can't even watch them. I just ran and ran and ran. I had no idea what I was doing, but I got away with it because I ran so much, so people gave me the benefit of the doubt because, at some point, I would tire the other guy out, flub and cross and Roy Lassiter would put it in. I enjoyed my soccer a lot more as I got older. I started to understand the game a little bit, started to slow down and not be as streaky. I always strived to be a consistent player, but it didn't happen until late. ... I was never that great of a soccer player, but I fit in. I had a knack of fitting in and working hard and doing what I needed to do."

Much more on the continuation.....

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 1998 MLS rookie of the year, MVP of the 1999 MLS Cup, a two-time all-star, a member of the Best XI in 2007 and the league's humanitarian of the year in 2003. Beyond United, Olsen was on the 2000 Olympic and 2006 World Cup squads.

More to come ...

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 touching video on Olsen's return against the Galaxy:

*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 might be difficult to negotiate to a lower figure, or are free agents with plans to head abroad. The unprotected include: Frankie Hejduk, Alejandro Moreno, Gino Padula, Mehdi Ballouchy, Pat Noonan, Dave van den Bergh, Wade Barrett, Michael Chabala, Pat Onstad, Kevin Hartman, Wells Thompson, Todd Dunivant, Clint Mathis, Roger Levesque, Amado Guevara and Philly natives Chris Albright and Bobby Convey.

*Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid (pneumonia) was released from a Seattle hospital after a four-night stay.

*Three names to surface in FC Dallas' hunt for a technical director: Marcelo Balboa, Dave Dir and Curt Onalfo.

*The renegade league that hopes to compete with the USL as a sanctioned second division has named itself ... the North American Soccer League. Hmmm, rings a bell, can't quite place it. Anyone familiar with that moniker? (Sigh) Bad name or terrible name? You decide. Members so far: Atlanta, Carolina, Baltimore, Miami, Minnesota, Montreal, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Vancouver.

For Americans Abroad and TV listings.....

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 shown on ESPN Classic Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

*If only the Redskins would make such an offer: Wigan players say they will refund the cost of tickets to supporters who followed the English club to London for the 9-1 loss at Tottenham.

*Maryland upset seventh-seeded Penn State, 2-1, and Virginia registered its ninth consecutive shutout, 5-0 over Bucknell, to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. This weekend the Terps will visit No. 10 Harvard and the Cavs will entertain Portland. Scan the entire bracket here.

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

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 would it have been to see Andy Williams convert the winning penalty kick (he faltered) after all he and his family have endured in his wife's battle with a rare form of leukemia? Or if Clint Mathis, one of the enduring characters in American soccer history, had scored in overtime?

Read my match account with quotes.

Why did RSL's Will Johnson leave the game at halftime? He was weakened by food poisoning since Saturday night. Why didn't the Galaxy's Dema Kovalenko play? He was ill all week and didn't have the strength to commit to playing most of the match. Before kickoff, Bruce Arena was planning to insert him around the 70th minute, but goalie Donovan Ricketts' exit with a hand injury and the fact that the game was tied ruined that idea.

For comments from Commissioner Don Garber on a variety of topics.....

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 unless he has a last-second change of heart, an official announcement will happen as early as Tuesday.

*New England is likely to announce Coach Steve Nicol's long-term contract extension soon.

*DCU has spoken to five or six head coaching candidates (some in formal interviews, others in casual conversations) and plans to explore overseas options as well before making a final decision, club president Kevin Payne said.

*Chicago will soon make a decision whether to offer Coach Denis Hamlett a new contract. The guess here is that he will not return. The craziest rumor I heard was Hamlett will be let go and Jesse Marsch, a former Fire regular, retires at Chivas USA and immediately steps into the Chicago coaching role (a la Jason Kreis at RSL). Just a wild, unfounded rumor that was quickly dismissed by Insider contacts.

*Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid (pneumonia) will remain hospitalized for at least another night.

Lineups to come.....
RSL: Rimando; Russell, Olave, Borchers, Wingert; Johnson, Beckerman, Morales, MathisWilliams; Movsisyan, Findley.

LAG: Ricketts; Franklin, Gonzalez, Berhalter, Dunivant; Beckham, Birchall, Kirovski, Donovan; Magee, Buddle.

Kickoff: 8:55 p.m. ET.
TV: ESPN, Galavision (coverage begins at 8:30).

My prediction: 3-2, Real Salt Lake.

Your pregame, in-game and postgame thoughts are welcome. Enjoy!

*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.

*D.C. United rookie Chris Pontius is representing the club at league festivities, a late replacement for Ben Olsen, who is planning to retire.

*MLS players in Seattle for the match will meet with union representatives Monday and discuss negotiations concerning a new collective bargaining agreement. The current deal expires in January.

*The second round of the NCAA tournament unfolds today with 16 matches, including reigning champion Maryland at seventh-seeded Penn State and ACC champion Virginia hosting Bucknell in pursuit of a ninth consecutive shutout.

*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 to not schedule games in Foxborough, Seattle and Houston on MLS Cup weekend. Another issue is whether holding the final at small venues in San Jose or Kansas City would be acceptable. In those cases, alternate venues could be offered (Oakland and Arrowhead).

*USL's reaction to Baltimore and Tampa Bay joining the renegade group that is forming a new second division.

*The Virginia Tech and Virginia women were eliminated from the NCAA tournament while three other ACC teams advanced to the quarterfinals. Today Maryland will attempt to defeat North Carolina for the first time after 30 losses and one tie.

*Another Ben Olsen memory:

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 .....