Houston Dynamo tab Ben Olsen as their new head coach

The Houston dynamo named Ben Olsen as the sixth head coach in franchise history Tuesday morning. HDFC held a press conference to announce the hiring.

Olsen had previously been the head coach of DC United from 2010-2020. The 45 year old had been a part of DCU for 22 of its 24 seasons befre being let go in early October of 2020. He won 135 games across all competitions,

“The Club is proud to welcome Ben Olsen to Houston as the head coach of the Dynamo,” majority owner and chairman Ted Segal said. “Ben is one of the most accomplished coaches in MLS and brings championship experience, including winning eight different MLS titles as a player, to this position. His commitment to developing high-potential players and leading playoff contenders make him a great fit for the direction of our organization.”

General manager Pat Onstad has another familiar face inside the organziation with the hiring of Olsen. The relationship the two have shared with Onstad both playing for Olsen and being his goalkeeper coach following retirement and Zach Thornton also Olsen's former goalkeeper coach already on staff in Houston made it a likely spot for the former DCU head coach.

“Ben is an experienced MLS head coach with a strong track record of building playoff teams and developing young players,” said Onstad. “Ben is the right leader for our club as we begin making significant changes to field a more proactive, younger and competitive team in the coming years. We are excited to welcome Ben and his family to the city of Houston and we are already hard at work on the 2023 season.”

Only time will tell if this is indeed the right hire.