Last season D.C. United veteran Ben Olsen moved back to an outside midfielder's role normally reserved for fleet-footed youngsters -- even as he celebrated his 30th birthday in May -- only to confound Major League Soccer with a career year paced by seven goals, seven assists and a spot on the MLS Best XI.
Those achievements became even more noteworthy when he went under the knife for surgery on both ankles almost immediately after the end of United's campaign, indicating just how much pain and discomfort he'd played through over the course of 2007.
Though the operation was a straightforward procedure to remove scar tissue and bone spurs, it offered a stark reminder of how many hard miles those ankles have logged over Olsen's decade-long pro career. So far the new year has brought more frustration, as lingering pain in his left ankle stalled his recovery and required another surgery last month.
"The first [surgery] left me with a little pain after I should have been back, in an area that kept going and persistently got worse as I went, as I tried to do things," said Olsen. "So that's a sign that something's still not right in there. So they went in and found a little bit more junk in there to take out, and smooth some stuff out, and give me some good old-fashioned marrow concoction blood [to speed the healing process]."
The Harrisburg, Pa. native is well-equipped to handle such setbacks. He's lost count of the many ankle surgeries required since he sustained a career-threatening fracture while on loan to English side Nottingham Forest in March 2001, is eminently familiar with the wearisome rehabilitation process and can discuss his symptoms with near-doctoral proficiency.
"To get technical, it's on my talus, where the talus meets the bone called the medial malleolus," explained Olsen. "When they were hitting, I had a lot of impingements, bone spurs and things -- it was rubbing as my bone would move across it, and that was causing me pain."
The situation has caused him to miss out on nearly all of United's preseason activities and even the most optimistic timeframe suggests he won't be ready for match action until the early part of the league calendar. But while his body may not quite heal at the speed it once did, experience has served Olsen just as well in the psychological facet of the game as in the mental and tactical areas, and he remains philosophical about his troubles.
"I have been through this before, and I'm a lot less dramatic about it," he said. "It's kind of an occupational hazard, I think. I'll deal with it. It could help me - preseason's pretty taxing and I think I'm doing a better job, as I get older, of managing myself throughout the season and knowing what I need and what I don't need. So hopefully I can get fit as quick as I can."
The D.C. coaching staff seems to be in less of a hurry, however, and are keen to keep a guiding hand on Olsen's return.
"He of course wants to step on the field right now, but he's got to be patient because obviously he's been through a lot and we want to make sure he doesn't rush things," said head coach Tom Soehn. "We want him back healthy and he is a vital component. ... But we've got a long season ahead and we're going to be patient with him and make sure we don't bring him back too early and set him up to fail."
Olsen has worked hard to keep in contact with his teammates and do his part to welcome United's new signings into the fold, but with the team's far-ranging preseason travels he admits that he's playing catchup.
"What you miss is the team bonding in preseason. As tough as it is, I really enjoy preseason, meeting new guys and fighting with them and getting fit and doing all the tough work that it takes to get the team to where it needs to be," he admitted. "That's always disappointing, not to be a part of that. Plus I just go crazy sitting at home."
So while his team prepares to kick off the season with a tricky CONCACAF Champions' Cup tie in Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday, Olsen is left to focus on small, short-term goals like progress with pool workouts and, subsequently, light jogging and ball work. Nonetheless, MLS First Kick is clearly on his mind.
"I'd like to be back by the beginning of the season. I realize it's not far away, but I don't think this surgery was that invasive," he said. "I would love to see some time in the first game. But I've got to come back and not only get fit, physically and mentally, but also prove to the staff that I deserve to play. So there's a couple things that are motivating me now and those are part of the equation.
"I'd like to be back by the beginning of the season. I realize it's not far away, but I don't think this surgery was that invasive," he said. "I would love to see some time in the first game. But I've got to come back and not only get fit, physically and mentally, but also prove to the staff that I deserve to play. So there's a couple things that are motivating me now and those are part of the equation."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
