Athletes - Ben Olsen

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	Athletes - Ben Olsen

Benjamin (Ben) Olsen (born May 3, 1977 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an American soccer player, who currently plays midfielder for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.

Olsen played three years of college soccer at the University of Virginia, where he finished his career with 34 goals and 41 assists. In his junior season, 1997, Olsen was named the Soccer America Collegiate Player of the Year. Olsen entered the league as a Project-40 player, and was allocated to D.C. United December 27, 1997, shortly after finishing his junior season at UVA.

Olsen immediately excelled as a right midfielder at D.C., earning a starting spot and finishing the 1998 season with 4 goals and 8 assists, and was named the MLS Rookie of the Year Award for his accomplishment. Olsen did even better his second year, registering 5 goals and 11 assists over 26 games, while helping D.C. United win their third MLS Cup, where he was named the MLS Cup MVP. Olsen's third season began well, but a collision with Chicago Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton caused an ankle injury that kept Ben out of much of the second half of the season, limiting him to 13 starts and only 1 goal and 3 assists on the year.

Having recovered from the ankle injury, Olsen was loaned by D.C. to Nottingham Forest of the English First Division, where he immediately impressed and soon became a fan favorite. Just as it looked likely that Nottingham Forest would tender MLS an offer for the midfielder, Olsen suffered another, even worse, ankle injury, that immediately scuttled any hopes of him making a move overseas. Olsen would miss all of the 2001 season while rehabilitating his injuries. He would eventually make a return in the middle of the 2002 season, having missed over 18 months due to injuries; although rusty, Olsen's talent shone through, and he finished the season with 7 starts and 10 games played. Olsen completed his comeback in 2003, as he started 26 games for the team, scoring 4 goals and 7 assists. Although the ankle injuries had robbed him of much of the speed that made him an effective wide midfielder, Olsen's intelligence made it possible for him to adapt to a central position. It is here that Olsen spent his time in 2004 as well, starting 25 games for United, scoring 3 goals and 4 assists. He scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 2005.

Olsen at one time seemed like the right midfielder of the future for the US national team, as he received his first cap soon after his Rookie of the Year season, on November 6, 1998 against the Australia, and he was a significant player for the team in the 1999 season. However, the injuries that kept him out of club play also seriously damaged his aspirations for the national team.

After moving to a controlling midfield position, Olsen is on the bubble to make the roster for the 2006 World Cup team, having scored a goal in the U.S team's early 2006 win over .

Olsen is also a modern artist (paint) and the brother of modern artist Jeremy Olsen (mixed media).

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