Tag Archives: Ben Olsen

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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D.C. United Rolls in Season Opener


‘Barra Brava’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

They said he was lucky to be alive. They said he would never walk again, much less play. But 522 days after a devastating car accident killed a friend and nearly claimed his life, D.C. United forward Charlie Davies played in his first competitive game since the accident and scored two goals in United’s 3-1 win over Columbus to open the 2011 season. With the scars on his head still visible, Davies was on the verge of breaking down while being interviewed after the game by Comcast SportsNet. (Ed. – This is a must watch)

18,132 were present at RFK Stadium for the scene, as a slow first half with few chances for either team got the game off to a choppy start. Early in the second half, fellow United newcomer Josh Wolff sent it past Columbus keeper Will Hesmer for the first D.C. goal of the season in the 51st minute. Davies came on to replace Joseph Ngwenya in the 52nd, and United was awarded a penalty kick just ten minutes later when Chris Pontius was fouled in the box. In postgame interviews, Davies was quoted as having insisted to captain Dax McCarty that he needed to take the penalty kick. Davies easily slotted it home to give United a 2-0 lead.

It was then the 77th minute when Davies got loose, showed the speed that enthralled American fans in 2009, and beat the keeper in a one-on-one for his second goal of the evening, and sent D.C. well on their way to a victory on opening night. Robbie Rogers would score for Columbus in the 78th off a penalty kick, the only negative to an otherwise fantastic showing by United assistant coach-turned-goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

D.C. sees action next Saturday with their first road game of the season, kicking off with New England at 4:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution open their season tonight at Los Angeles.

Sports Fix
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DC United 2011 Season Preview


’10/23/2010 DC United vs Toronto FC’
courtesy of ‘Paul Frederiksen’

While for most people the arrival of March means looking ahead to whether the Nationals and Orioles will lose 95 or 97 games, for others, it beckons the start of the season for D.C. United, the most successful franchise in Major League Soccer.

Entering their 16th season of play, one of the charter members of the league and four-time MLS champion United have much to look forward to as the 2011 campaign begins on March 19 at RFK Stadium against Columbus. After winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield (given to the team with the best regular season record) in 2006 and 2007, the Black and Red have fallen off the last three seasons, with 10th place finishes in 2008 and 2009, before ultimately bottoming out last year with a 6-20-4 record, settling them firmly in last place.

The excitement for 2011 comes with the first full season under head coach Ben Olsen. After the release of Curt Onalfo as head coach following a 3-12-3 start, Olsen took the reins of United and turned the team around considerably, finishing the season with a still-disappointing 3-8-1 record, but enough of a turnaround was shown that team management felt it appropriate to retain Olsen.  Not included in the record was a Cinderella run to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, a tournament open to nearly all American professional, semi-professional, and amateur clubs. Olsen, 33, nicknamed “The General”, had an illustrious playing career for D.C., scoring 29 goals in 221 games for the Black and Red, as well as suiting up for the United States national team 37 times, including seeing action in the 2006 World Cup. Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Art + Athletes = Everybody Wins

This Wednesday night you can start the new year off doing good for others by attending a benefit for Bread for the City at one of our favorite galleries here at We Love DC – Morton Fine Art. Amy Morton calls the evening a mixture of “art and good people from the neighborhood,” a night of “fun and positivity.”

Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, running from 7-10pm. The event is hosted by DC United’s Ben Olsen – did you know he’s a Shaw resident and art collector who’s also a painter himself? Also on board is the Redskins’ Chris Cooley, artist Rosemary Feit Covey, and photographer Susan Burnstine.

Bread for the City has been providing social services to DC’s low-income residents since the mid-1970’s. The organization helps with such necessities as groceries and clothing, while also running medical and legal clinics. Continue reading →