Ben Olsen and Josh Gros to attend "The Clash of the Capitals"
August 6, 2005 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
(Harrisburg, Pa., August 6, 2005) - Midfielders Ben Olsen and Josh Gros, both Central Pennsylvania natives, have confirmed their intentions to appear at "The Clash of the Capitals," the premier exhibition match between the Harrisburg City Islanders and defending MLS champions D.C. United on Tuesday, August 16, at Skyline Sports Complex (7:30 p.m. kickoff).
Freddy Adu, D.C. United's 16-year-old phenom, is scheduled to play for D.C. United.
Lawn Seating remains available for the match. Lawn Seating tickets are available for $10 apiece and may be purchased at www.cityislanders.com or by calling 717-441-GOAL.
Olsen, from Middletown, Pa., has scored two points (0g, 2a) over 12 games in 2005, his eighth season with United. The 27-year-old has been a fixture in the team's lineup since 1998, when he won the MLS Rookie of the Year Award. During the course of his standout MLS career, Olsen has scored 70 points (17g, 36a) in 145 games, been named to three All-Star teams (1998, 1999, 2004) and won two MLS Cups (1999 and 2004). He was named the 1999 MLS Cup MVP.
As a senior at Middletown High School, Olsen was named the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year. His three-year stint at the University of Virginia included the 1997 Soccer America Player of the Year Award. He was also a finalist for the Hermann Trophy that season.
Olsen represented the United States in the 1997 World Youth Championships and in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. He has earned 26 caps (scoring four goals) with the U.S. Men's National Team since 1998.
In 2004, Olsen was elected to the Board of Directors of United for D.C., the charitable arm of D.C. United, and he was granted the team's U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2003.
Gros, a native of Mechanicsburg, Pa., and graduate of Cumberland Valley High School, is following up a strong rookie season with an equally impressive sophomore campaign. The 23-year-old scored six points (1g, 4a) for D.C. in 2004 while becoming the first rookie since the club's inaugural season to play more than 2,000 minutes. He has registered three goals and an assist in 18 games this year.
United selected Gros out of Rutgers University in the fourth round of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. He was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 after scoring 16 goals and 37 points for the Scarlet Knights. Gros was a teammate of City Islanders Team Captain Derek Potteiger at Cumberland Valley.
In honor of Todd Smith, the former Harrisburg Heat player and General Manager of the Hershey Wildcats and New England Revolution who lost his battle with leukemia in December of 2003, a portion of the ticket proceeds from "The Clash of the Capitals" will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Soccer Kicks for Cancer" program.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 6, 2005
- City Isles Fend Off Cincy, Unbeaten Streak Hits 14 - Penn FC
- Kings drop physical contest to Harrisburg, 1-0 - Cincinnati Kings
- Ordain and Coggins lead Charlotte Over Pittsburgh 2-1 - Charlotte Eagles
- Ben Olsen and Josh Gros to attend "The Clash of the Capitals" - Penn FC
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