As the second-longest tenured manager in MLS, Ben Olsen is no stranger to questions about his job security. With his team struggling on the field, he's fielding those questions once again now.
D.C. United are currently mired in a challenging 2020 season, which seemed to hit a new low with a 4-0 loss to fellow Eastern Conference strugglers Atlanta United which included a substitution mishap with the club attempting to sub in Russell Canouse despite the midfielder not being on the matchday squad. United are currently tied at the bottom of the league alongside Inter Miami with just 11 points after 15 matches.
Olsen, though, isn't thinking about his job security or rumors that he may be on the hot seat.
“This isn’t about me," Olsen told reporters succinctly on a virtual press conference Tuesday. "I say this year after year. We have sharp owners, they know what’s best for this club. When my time is done, it’ll be done. It’s as simple as that. I don’t spend a lot of time on that, it’s wasted energy. It’s part of the job. I put quite a lot of pressure on myself to succeed for this club for the fans. I’ve done that for 20 years. When that transition happens, it’ll happen. I’ll walk away happy with my time here. I’ll rest knowing I gave this club everything I had."
WATCH: Substitution mix-up vs. Atlanta
Olsen was a key player for D.C. United from 1998-2009 before immediately transition to assistant coach for the 2010 season. He took over as interim head coach by August of that year and the club dropped the interim tag in the offseason.
This season hasn't been easy for United. They have missed key attacker Paul Arriola all season after the US international went down with a torn ACL in February, while club-record signing Edison Flores has made just five starts this season due to injury. While things are bleak, the season isn't yet over. Despite picking up just one win in their last 13 games, D.C. are just six points below the playoff line with eight matches left to play, all against in-conference opponents.
“But until that transition happens, I’ll continue to do give this club everything I have," Olsen said. "I’ll push this group to play to the best of their ability. Try to turn things around and get into the playoffs. Nothing really changes. We go through this every year, I get this question. It’ll happen one day, but for now, we’ll continue doing our job. I’ll continue to do what I’ve done for the last 20 years: Give this club everything I have.”
