NEW YORK – D.C. United President and CEO Kevin Payne has confirmed that current DC interim manager Ben Olsen will not be a candidate for the head-coaching job in 2011.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Examiner, Payne says that the club has already begun to interview other prospective head coaches but that he believes Olsen needs more experience.
"Ben is not a candidate,” Payne told the Examiner. “Ben will have his opportunity at some point, but I really want him to have his chance to be very, very successful when he starts. … It’s not in any way a reflection on Ben."
Olsen assumed the interim tag on Aug. 4 after United fired first-year manager Curt Onalfo. Since taking on the position, Olsen has compiled a 3-7-1 record and managed the team in a US Open Cup semifinal defeat to the Columbus Crew.
Payne is consistent with what he said back in the summer when he assigned Olsen the task of taking on the job.
"This is not an audition for the head-coaching job,” Payne told TheWashington Post in August. “I really want him to have the opportunity to be fully prepared when he does someday become our head coach, which I fully expect he will be someday. … Ben has a lot to learn yet.”
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