the anti ben olsen contingent?

I like Olsen too, but there are always going to be disagreement. He wasn't a MOTM yesterday for no reason. In Bruce's eye, nobody helped himself more than Mr. Olsen. However, this is bigsoccer. A lot of people are on crack when they post.

 

Without Klein Olsen would have never gotten his goal. Klein was more impressive.

 

I'd disagree. Klein got some crosses across, but his defense was subpar. A couple of times he was deked. Olsen was much more consistent on both sides of the field.

 

Olsen was seen in both boxes with regularity. In the mix trying to score on offense, and then tracking back, sometimes across the field on defense. I remember an instance when he cleared six yards from the endline on the right side. His workrate was unbelievable, his dedication unmatched. He also has a good shot, cross and is good in the air. I do not think the same can be said for anyone else in the match yesterday. Yet, for those who see this guy play regularly, this is a perfectly normal showing.

Olsen, since his goal against Tunisia in March 2000, right in front of me in Birmingham, has been my favorite player. Its a testament to him that after all those surgeries he's back performing near his best.

 

Olsen impressed the heck out of me. Like Mickey Dolenz, I'm a believer.

 

For clarification: Are you saying that Olsen would not have scored if it had been a player other than Klein who crossed the ball? A goal scorer needs a nose for the ball and Ben was where he needed to be. He obviously finished as well as you could want.

 

I thought Ben Olsen was impressive. He played both sides of the field. If there were to be an important national game right now I would start Olsen on the right flank, and Eddie Lewis on the Left flank. In my opinion they give us the best chance to win, right now.

 

Olsen is Hejduk without the skill. He'd get schooled by any national team not made up of 5'1" 17-year-old hung-over Salvadorenos.

 

i thought klein had a better game than i expected, he suprised me a bit. my problem with him is that he doesn't seem to me to have a high enough workrate to play well at the international level. he does have some nice vision. he seems to me to be almost "too nice" to do some of the dirty work needed in int'l football. he may develop and suprise, and he is a nice passer.

i was delighted at ben's game. he really played with that old recklessness. he is also getting much sharper than before. having watched him since the comeback, you can see the game becoming instinctive again, the self-doubt slowly seeping out. i love how physical ben is for such a small man. i also love that chancy, cheeky way he plays, it brings a dicey element to games that can unhinge defensive plans.

 

HA! now, that's funny.
I think Ben Olsen is a good, quality player and has a role on the national team depending on how things work out.
My concern is his attitude on the field. I have a feeling he's going to draw a yellow and/or red card that is just going to kill the U.S. I like his talent, but I'm not sure I trust him.

 

i think there is a time and a place for a guy like ben. you are not going to want him in every situation and you might just use him in a reserve sort of role. in some contexts that attitude might result in a brillant goal or some other huge play or as you note, a card that seriously kills us. arena seems to get steady play out of guys like hedjuk or sanneh, who seem to play lots of games with their head up their ass, in matches that really count. i think he can do the same with ben.

my biggest problem with ben is his size. i have stood next to him a few times and he is tiny, even smaller than he seems on the field. i hope he doesn't get wore down in a tough tournament or qualifying run.

 

Let's not carried away. Ben had a great game against a crap team. Before his injury, I thought that he was one of our most overrated players. Another Bruce pet...

However, upon his return to DC and the national team this year, I have begun to respect his value to a team. Ben brings certain undefined qualities (similar to Mathis) that you want to have in a player. DC was a much better team upon his return.

Assuming he makes a full recovery, I think the injury will actually help him. Already, he seems to have a better command of the game in terms of pace (no longer running around like his head has been cut off) and knowledge. I look forward to seeing him as someone to watch for 2006.

 

Martino of all people is bigger than Olsen. I mean, Martino looks twelve.

 

Except for the miss from two yards out and the fall from stepping on the ball, Olsen did well. But where would he play, if everyone else is healthy?

 

He'll play on the right flank. I'm not too impressed with Klein who benefited from his size, but was rather slow and rigid in many situations in yesterday's game. However, I hope that we'll see more new youngsters emerge from nowhere to challenge for a place in the team in the upcoming years, guys like Kelly Gray, Brad Davis etc...
Speaking of size, Donovan is officially listed as 5'8" and he made me feel like I was a giant 6'4" standing next to me even though my actual height is 5'9". What's up with these measurements? Does US soccer add a few inches/lbs to a certain player to scare our opponents? DMB once was asked if he weighed at 135 lbs, he answered with a wicked smile.

 

I know that I'm a Be(n)-liever. The guy simply plays with Mathis-like bravado and fights - what we can always use more of. He's one of those guys who doesn't grasp the concept that we "should" lose to any team in the world, be it Germany, or Brazil.

I like the idea of Ben playing on our right flank in 2006, barring injuries or any other player stepping up significantly, along with DMB on the left. God I can't wait for 2006.

 

I enjoy knowing Ben is an option for the future, but right now I don't see enough polish to his game. Maybe that will come.

Ben is like the perfect player to put in just to piss the other team off. In short, he's got a fair amount of skill, great work rate, but in the end he's a punk and a pain in the ass to the other team.

He really is Hedjuk v 2.0 when you consider it. Although I would suggest that he is a signifigant skill upgrade, at least on the ball.

 

We need to clone 9 more Ben Olsens when we play against Mexico.

 

He can be the Cobi '06 version.

 

Olsen is much less of a card risk than Hejduk. I mean, for christssake Hejduk just got a red card for insulting a ref during a St. Gallen game FROM THE BENCH!!! Hejduk's not even Swiss, or German, or French or whatever they speak there!
I also think Olsen gets more respect from the refs for his work ethic than guys like Hejduk and Mathis who tend to whine.

 

I wonder if you would have said that if you stood next to Maradona?

 

i love ben as a player, but he's not maradona. he's also quite a bit more reckless than maradona was and hasn't nearly the vision maradona had to avoid tackles/potential injuries. i am certainly not a person who thinks size is absolute, i truly believe talent negates size. my concern with ben's size is somewhat particular to him and his injury problems.

it is ben's style combined with his size i find worrying. he is remarkably fearless and combative, a sort of chaotic recklessness. having missed his play with our club for almost two seasons, i will probably always worry for his health. i am still nervous every time he is involved in one of his "pile ups".

 

Who is this "Anti Ben Olsen contignent?" Do they have any association with "The Arenaphiles" or the "Mathisfu****kers" or the "McBride fellaters"?