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McCarthy's Musings: The Friday Five Remembers...Jay Heaps and Ben Olsen
As the soccer world turns its focus toward South Africa for today's World Cup draw, the Friday Five sends Jay Heaps and Ben Olsen into retirement with a few reasons why MLS will miss their presence next season.
Dec 4, 2009 3:03:26 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
Two of the more familiar faces in MLS won't be around to take the field next season.
New England defender Jay Heaps and D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen both called it quits over the past couple of weeks. Both players were constant presences in the league for over a decade and came to personify their clubs.
As soccer fans across the United States anxiously await the outcome of the World Cup draw today, the Friday Five discusses why MLS won't be the same without two of its most notable veterans.
1. (Primarily) one-club men. In an age of transience, Heaps and Olsen spent the vast majority of their careers with New England and D.C., respectively. Sure, there were those brief (Olsen's one-season loan stint at Nottingham Forest) and not-as-brief (Heaps' two-and-a-half years with Miami) stints somewhere else, but these two players will always be associated with the clubs they turned out for season after season. These days, there's something to be said for that.
2. Evolution in the face of adversity. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about both players is how they managed to adapt their games over the course of the years without fading into irrelevance. Olsen made his name as a right winger before a series of ankle injuries robbed him of much of his pace. Instead of folding up shop, Olsen turned into a defensive midfielder good enough to travel to the World Cup in 2006. Heaps started out as a midfielder and fell into a role as a fullback who, by his own admission, wasn't particularly tidy in his defensive third. As the years progressed, Heaps improved considerably as a defender and eventually earned four caps with the U.S. national team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.
3. Intensity and competitiveness. Some players take off plays. Others take off games. Heaps and Olsen, well, they didn't take off anything. Every moment on the field meant life or death to them. And if their teammates weren't showing that hunger to win, then the duo would certainly make that point clear, too. Every team needs that guy who can't simply afford to lose, whether on the field or, as Revolution teammate Steve Ralston noted after Heaps' retirement ceremony Wednesday, at ping-pong on the Wii.
4. A lightning rod for opposing fans. The relentlessness may have endeared Heaps and Olsen to teammates and those who cheered for the Revolution and United, but the constant cajoling and competing made them persona non grata for opposing supporters. Instigate some disapproval among the masses usually means you're doing your job well.
5. A touchstone for those around them. The contributions didn't stop on the field as the duo were key contributors in the locker room and in the community. Teammates, staffers, media members, fans, it never seemed to matter. There was always a moment to talk or an instant to take a photograph. Olsen, a licensed minister, even officiated at Nick Rimando's wedding back in the day. Talk about versatility.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
Two of the more familiar faces in MLS won't be around to take the field next season.
New England defender Jay Heaps and D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen both called it quits over the past couple of weeks. Both players were constant presences in the league for over a decade and came to personify their clubs.
As soccer fans across the United States anxiously await the outcome of the World Cup draw today, the Friday Five discusses why MLS won't be the same without two of its most notable veterans.
1. (Primarily) one-club men. In an age of transience, Heaps and Olsen spent the vast majority of their careers with New England and D.C., respectively. Sure, there were those brief (Olsen's one-season loan stint at Nottingham Forest) and not-as-brief (Heaps' two-and-a-half years with Miami) stints somewhere else, but these two players will always be associated with the clubs they turned out for season after season. These days, there's something to be said for that.
2. Evolution in the face of adversity. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about both players is how they managed to adapt their games over the course of the years without fading into irrelevance. Olsen made his name as a right winger before a series of ankle injuries robbed him of much of his pace. Instead of folding up shop, Olsen turned into a defensive midfielder good enough to travel to the World Cup in 2006. Heaps started out as a midfielder and fell into a role as a fullback who, by his own admission, wasn't particularly tidy in his defensive third. As the years progressed, Heaps improved considerably as a defender and eventually earned four caps with the U.S. national team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.
3. Intensity and competitiveness. Some players take off plays. Others take off games. Heaps and Olsen, well, they didn't take off anything. Every moment on the field meant life or death to them. And if their teammates weren't showing that hunger to win, then the duo would certainly make that point clear, too. Every team needs that guy who can't simply afford to lose, whether on the field or, as Revolution teammate Steve Ralston noted after Heaps' retirement ceremony Wednesday, at ping-pong on the Wii.
4. A lightning rod for opposing fans. The relentlessness may have endeared Heaps and Olsen to teammates and those who cheered for the Revolution and United, but the constant cajoling and competing made them persona non grata for opposing supporters. Instigate some disapproval among the masses usually means you're doing your job well.
5. A touchstone for those around them. The contributions didn't stop on the field as the duo were key contributors in the locker room and in the community. Teammates, staffers, media members, fans, it never seemed to matter. There was always a moment to talk or an instant to take a photograph. Olsen, a licensed minister, even officiated at Nick Rimando's wedding back in the day. Talk about versatility.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
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