The rain finally stopped in the Mid-Atlantic region on Saturday night. The sun came out and for those who had been stuck indoors for the past two days it was a chance to celebrate. But while the rest of the region was reveling in the change of weather D.C. United and head coach Ben Olsen were still stuck in an ugly storm of unpleasantness.
After an abysmal five game stretch the hope for supporters and the club was that a road trip to expansion side Minnesota United was just what they needed. But instead of finding three points and clear skies they found a 4-0 drubbing and delayed flights. There were no sunshine and rainbows at the University of Minnesota on Saturday night just more of the same: terrible form and a lot of bad luck.
At this point it has become almost a routine for United supporters to turn on the television or walk to the stadium and expect a bad result. The side has vastly underperformed after a successive series of quality campaigns over the past three seasons. They currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-14-3 record and having scored just 18 goals (lowest in the league) and allowed 42 (third highest behind Minnesota and Real Salt Lake).
This was not the season that United expected at the start of the season. So who is to blame? As it happens many times in sports the chief amount of criticism seems to be leveled at head coach Ben Olsen. Olsen, never a fan some United supporters, has been under more pressure in recent weeks for the club’s run of poor form. Every loss seems to further rankle his detractors.
Firing managers mid-season is nothing new in soccer or in sports. Supporters seem to be under the impression that by changing a manager a team will somehow turn things around quickly. Last season that seemed to be the case with the Seattle Sounders who cut ties with Sigi Schmid, hired Brian Schmetzer, and went on to win the MLS Cup. Now mind you they also picked up Nicolas Lodeiro, a pretty good player in his own right. But the change did seem to light a fire under the squad and lead to a really good run of form. So its understandable that United supporters would believe that a new coach mid-season might gin up better results.
Here’s why that theory doesn’t apply here. First, who could D.C. United land that would be an improvement over Olsen? If United were to replace Olsen mid-season it would be a coach that has extensive experience with Major League Soccer or an internal candidate. With Bob Bradley, Bruce Arena, Octavio Zambrano, and Sigi Schmid all off the table there really isn’t a coach that can come in and bring that ‘name’ factor that will lead to an improved run of form.
The second option is also not exactly a surefire way to gin up results. Those who followed the Houston Dynamo last season saw exactly what Wade Barret did or didn’t do in a short period. Will play improve? Probably. But it wasn’t enough to get the Dynamo into the playoffs and it likely won’t be enough for D.C. either.
There is also the necessity factor. D.C. United will not be relegated to the USL at the end of the season. At the start of the 2018 season United will be in Major League Soccer. There is no sense of danger within this club to change a manager by the end of the season. The worst thing that will likely happen, aside from possibly losing the interest of additional supporters, is that they will gain a top draft pick in the MLS SuperDraft. For a club that has done reasonably well in drafting college players that isn’t exactly the worst punishment in the world.
So dropping Olsen at this time doesn’t make much sense in both the short-term and the long-term. That doesn’t mean that the pressure shouldn’t be on Olsen or General Manager Dave Kasper. Teams have very few opportunities like the one United has next season with their move to Audi Field. For years the belief has been that United needed to conservative in their spending to offset the cost of at renting out RFK Stadium. United officials have spoken at length about the opportunity that Audi Field presents them. United officials owe it to their fans to invest in this side prior to kickoff of the 2018 campaign. Not in January. Now.
They also owe it to Olsen as well. While some of the criticisms of Olsen are fair let’s not forget that he is still just 40 years old. In his seven years as manager he has improved not just in his ability to manage players but also create gameplans and strategy. He has dealt with a situation that most coaches would find untenable and provided a good run with several playoff appearances and a U.S. Open Cup title. While ownership was out chasing clubs in Italy and Wales Olsen was at every match, every press conference, and we are assuming every town hall discussing the future of the club not just on the field but also the community. That has to and should count for something.
That being said the results have to improve. The injuries that United have sustained are far too many to account and the Jose Ortiz experiment very clearly did not work. But United’s issues go far beyond depth and one striker. At times on Saturday night it appeared as if United’s starting eleven had never even played with one another before. Passes would go wide of their margin and players could be seen on camera having trouble working out plays with one another. This is not just a one-time issue either as similar situations have occurred during their six game losing streak and over the course of their 2017 campaign.
Results like the Minnesota loss will certainly sting for United supporters, as have many poor results in recent weeks. But without a better solution in the immediate future Olsen should be given the chance to see this through. Having seen this side through all of its ups and having continued to act an consummate professional (albeit an irascible one at times) Olsen has earned the right to see this club through to their final match at RFK Stadium. What will be determined in the weeks and months ahead is whether he and Kasper will be there for the opening match at Audi Field in 2018. A stadium is nice but supporters need to some hope that things will change entering into next season. For now that is on Olsen and United’s roster to deliver.
