The Houston DynamoMultiple sources have confirmed that they are in talks with Ben Olsen, former D.C. United manager, about their next coach. The AthleticMonday
One source claimed that discussions between the parties have been relatively slow. The Dynamo refused to comment on Monday afternoon when I reached them. Olsen hadn’t responded to a request for comment as of publication.Â
Houston is seeking a new manager to help them with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. September, Paulo Nagamura was fired as coach. Nagamura was hired in January but didn’t even last an entire season on the job, compiling an 8-16-5 record in 29 regular-season matches before he was fired. Houston Dynamo 2 coach Kenny Bundy led the club on an interim basis following Nagamura’s dismissal, closing the season with a 2-2-1 record in Houston’s final five matches.
Houston hired Pat Onstad as Dynamo’s general manager. Onstad started his coaching career at D.C. United in 2011 as an assistant to Olsen. In the midst of an injury crisis, he briefly returned to net to help D.C. through its spring season. However, he quickly returned back to the bench and worked under Olsen until his departure from D.C. on January 2013.
Multiple sources have shared their stories The Athletic Olsen was initially approached for the job in Houston prior to Nagamura’s hiring last offseason. The 45-year old was currently serving as the president of the NWSL’s Washington SpiritAfter six months at the club, he was promoted to this post in April.
Olsen was the head coach at D.C. United for nearly a decade. He joined the coaching ranks in 2010 and left in 2020. During that span, Olsen won Major League Soccer’s coach of the year award in 2014, led D.C. to a 2013 U.S. Open Cup championship and qualified for postseason play six times. D.C. had its moments during Olsen’s tenure. The team put together one of the worst seasons ever recorded in MLS history in 2013 while finishing last in the league for 2017. The technical play of the team was sometimes behind that of other league clubs, but United was frequently among them. MLS’ lowest-spending teams.
Olsen was fired in 2020 after United got off to a 2-9-5 start in league play and was replaced by Argentine coach Hernán Losada, who was Fired after less than a full year on the job.
Olsen was the head coach at United for 11 years. He won two MLS Cups with D.C. during his entire professional career. More recently, he has served on the commentary crew of several of ESPN’s MLS broadcasts and has He continued to work as an accomplished artist.
(Photo: Scott Taetsch / USA Today)
