MLS Major League Soccer

Ben Olsen Named MLS All-Star Head Coach

Published on June 21, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK (June 21, 2012) - Major League Soccer has selected D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen to lead the MLS All-Stars against UEFA champions Chelsea FC on July 25 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Serving as Olsen's assistant coaches will be Philadelphia Union Interim Team Manager John Hackworth and the D.C. United technical staff of Chad Ashton, Pat Onstad and Sonny Silooy. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, TeleFutura, and in Canada on TSN and RDS starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.

"Ben Olsen has experience playing in All-Star Games and he has guided his team to one of the best records in MLS so far this season," said Nelson RodrÃ-guez, MLS Executive Vice President of Competition and Game Operations. "He and his staff also have a relatively short distance to travel and his club does not play a League match on the weekend after the All-Star Game. Adding John Hackworth at his side strengthens the group that will assemble and prepare our team for this important game."

A native of Harrisburg, Pa., Olsen won eight total trophies as a player for United, including two MLS Cups (1999 & 2004). He was a five-time All-Star (appearing in the 1998 & 1999 matches), the 1998 MLS Rookie of the Year, the 1999 MLS Cup MVP, the 2003 USSF Humanitarian of the Year and was named to the MLS Best XI in 2007. Olsen took over the head coach position midway through the 2010 season and was officially named to the position on November 29 of the same year. This season, he has led the Black-and-Red to a 9-4-3 start to the 2012 campaign with the team currently sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference.

"This is a huge honor," said D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen. "This League has been a major part of my life, both as a player and now as a coach, and it's given me a lot. Ultimately, this recognition comes because of my team and my staff, but to represent the League on a big stage like this is a real privilege."

Hackworth took the reins at the Union on June 13, after serving as Peter Nowak's assistant since the club's inaugural 2010 season. Hackworth previously spent two years as an assistant coach with the U.S. Men's National Team under Bob Bradley, helping guide the squad to a first place finish in group play in World Cup Qualifying and a second place finish in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Prior to joining the USMNT staff, Hackworth spent more than six years with the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla.

ESPN International will make the game available live in more than 100 countries. In addition, the All-Star Game will be carried online and on smartphones and tablets via ESPN3 and WatchESPN in the United States. For more information on the AT&T MLS All-Star Game, please visit MLSsoccer.com.

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