Olsen vows to "execute a proactive and effective game" as coach of Houston Dynamo FC

Ben Olsen has arrived at Houston Dynamo FC with the objective of bettering both the quality of the roster and the mentality of the players.

The longtime player and coach of D.C. United was unveiled as the sixth head coach of the Dynamo on Tuesday as general manager Pat Onstad and owner Ted Segal accompanied his presentation. Olsen's success as a player and coach was outlined in the opening statements as the club hopes to break a five-season playoff drought and — over a longer span — a run of just one postseason appearance in the prior nine seasons.

"Ben's accomplishments as a coach and player are too many to list but include, as a player, multiple MLS cups and Supporters' Shields, tenure as a best 11 member in the league, and longtime service on the US Men's National Team," Segal said in a press conference. "As a coach, Ben ranks among the top 10 winningest in MLS history. He led D.C. United to six playoff appearances, led the club to a 2013 US Open Cup title, and was named 2014 MLS Coach of the Year."

As the press availability went on, the main topics brought about were the potential improvement of the roster and building progress on a proactive style of play. Olsen also outlined the availability of resources off the field, something that has been mentioned by fans and media members as a hindrance to his success at D.C. United.

Olsen's "competitiveness" was important for the owner

Competitiveness and the need for more "nasty" play from players was mentioned as a lack of quality with recent rosters. It was a big selling point for Segal.

"Ben stood out among the candidates for his league experience and his track record of getting the best out of his teams and his commitment to our project here in Houston," said the club owner. "His teams were consistent playoff contenders, and it's a testament to Ben's ability to develop and motivate players. Indeed, his competitive nature is legendary in MLS, and stood out to me in this process."

"This competitiveness is in line with our objectives for this organization," Segal added. "I've learned over the past year and a half that it's not easy to overcome a culture of complacency when it's taken root in an organization. It takes new players who commit to our mission, takes leadership and our business operations starting with [Dynamo FC COO] Jessica [O'Neill], it takes front office leadership with Pat and Asher [Mendelsohn] and it takes a driven head coach like Ben."

Clearly, the owner is all in on his current staff, which has taken a more defined shape in the offseason with departures across the club. The Dynamo will need more than just competitiveness, but at least on the leadership front, they believe they're set.

A "collaborative" coach

Collaboration has been a point of emphasis for Onstad. In Olsen, Onstad sounds to have the partner he wants at the head coaching position.

"Somebody who believed in our project and believes in what we're trying to build here and a guy that I know, who I've worked with, and I can trust," Onstad said of the former D.C. United manager with who he served as an assistant. "A person that wants to work in a collaborative way to make sure that we become a better club."

The topic of collaboration has been mentioned by Onstad during his tenure with the club. Perhaps that fell away with former coach Paulo Nagamura, though Onstad added that the lack of progress was a defining factor.

"I think I probably underestimated the area that we needed most improvement in terms of metrics and how we're going to do that. 

"One of the reasons we hired Ben is we realized, and I've talked about this before last year, I talked about a proactive style of soccer," Onstad said. "I don't think that's what we saw. So when you talk about progress, for us, that was the piece, that ultimately, why we made the decision. We didn't feel like we had a game model to be proud of."

"There'll be some hires that will help explain that in terms of director and methodology, an analytics component that will help measure you know what we're trying to do, but we need progress," added Onstad. "I still believe this group can make the playoffs and I'll never stop saying that."

Priority: to better the roster

Regardless of who got hired as the head coach, roster improvement is a key topic as it is every offseason. Nothing too specific was necessarily addressed other than a general statement of improvement.

The Dynamo has 20 returning players from its 2022 roster and has emphasized the possibility of ten incoming players. Decisions are still pending on the returns of up to six players but Olsen stressed being satisfied with the core players.

"We have a lot of work to do," Olsen said. "The immediate focus will be on improving the roster with a strong core with promising prospects, but we need to add more quality and depth. Secondly, we as a staff need to make sure the players are clear on their roles to execute a proactive and effective game. And lastly, we need to continue to improve the club's mentality and culture that has been on the wrong side of the playoff line too many times in the past decade."

Hector Herrera, Sebastian Ferreira and Adalberto Carrasquilla are three players locked into designated player status, unless the team moves one of them in a transfer —as Onstad has revealed none of them can be bought down with TAM to re-open a spot. One of the objectives for Olsen will be to get better performances from these three players and the new manager is confident he can get it done.

"Hector, we haven't seen the best of him. I think we're gonna see a whole 'nother Hector Herrera next year for this club," Olsen said. "He's going to be a huge piece, one guy who will speak about because I know he's going to be here and he's going to be a huge part of this."

Herrera was focused on the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, of which he is confident to get despite a nagging injury during the MLS season. According to the MLS Players Salary Guide, the Mexican midfielder commanded around a $5 million annual salary and is expected to rank among the highest-paid players in Major League Soccer again.

The new manager is bought in on his current roster, however, and isn't looking to be a salesman.

"I'm not here to sell you on me," Olsen said. "The results and the way the team plays in the coming seasons will ultimately be the test but now, I'm excited by this challenge. I'm ready to get to work."