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D.C. United smartly extends Ben Olsen’s contract

Feb 1, 2013, 12:16 PM EDT

Colombus Crew v D.C. United Getty Images

Ordinarily, extending the contract of a manager who clearly has things moving in the right direction might not rate more than a wee blip on the news radar.

But in all honesty, things haven’t always gone as smoothly from a higher management standpoint over the last few years around D.C. United, where player personnel choices have unraveled spectacularly as often as they struck gold, and where the ongoing stadium frustrations continue to be a huge ball and chain around the club’s efforts to move forward.

So, congratulations to Ben Olsen, 35, still one of Major League Soccer’s youngest managers.  D.C. United exercised the option that will keep Olsen in the head coaches’ seat through 2014.

United came close to making the playoffs in Olsen’s first year but made significant strides in 2012, narrowly missing on a trip to MLS Cup.

Olsen’s original three-year deal signed in 2011 was set to expire at the end of the current season.

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