Impact - An Old Foe Departs

He seemed to be there forever. Part of the furniture...

In fact he was... in every Impact meeting with DC United that’s ever taken place to date, Ben Olsen was in the DC United dug-out. That’s 20 times (21 when you consider the Impact’s play-off victory at RFK Stadium in 2015).

The second-longest tenured coach in MLS history (10 years) left his job, Thursday. As player and coach he was involved in 71.1% of all matches in DC United’s MLS-history.

But how did he fare against the Impact?

Well it’s pretty much a mixed bag from when Bernardo Corradi’s goal at RFK Stadium gave the Impact it’s first-ever MLS road point, back in April 2012, to the last occasion earlier this year at MLS-is-Back when Saphir Taider’s strike earned Montreal its only win in the Florida tournament.

He was also coach of DC United when in 2018, his Wayne Rooney-inspired side were the first to defeat the Impact by five goals in an MLS game, at the same time extinguishing any lingering hopes the Impact had of reaching that year’s play-offs.

Olsen’s full record against Montreal including the Impact’s play-off victory is actually perfectly symmetrical: won 7, lost 7, drawn 7.

He faced Frank Klopas and Mauro Biello most times, five times each, faring much better against the American, 3-0-2. Biello remained undefeated against Olsen winning 3 and drawing 2. As well as Klopas, Olsen remained undefeated against two other Impact coaches: Remi Garde (3 meetings) and Wilmer Cabrera (1).

Assistant coach Chad Ashton will take over as interim manager at DC United as the search for a permanent head coach formally begins.