Former D.C. United player and head coach Ben Olsen pictured at a 2018 match in D.C. He will be the Washington Spirit’s new club president.

Nick Wass / AP Photo

The Washington Spirit has named former D.C. United player and coach Ben Olsen a president of the soccer club, in charge of day-to-day operations, driving team development, and focusing on the “overall effort to enhance the club’s culture and identity,” according to a Thursday announcement. The move comes at a time of reported internal power struggles among co-owners and a recent bombshell report alleging verbal abuse from a former coach.

Olsen, 44, will join the NWSL club after being fired by a struggling United team last October, following 13 years as a start player with the team — in which he won two MLS titles — and 10 years as head coach. Spirit CEO and co-owner Steve Baldwin said the team would benefit from Olsen’s energy, leadership, and history as a champion.

“Ben has been a legendary player, coach, and executive in the DC soccer world,” Baldwin said in a statement. “He is truly a soccer icon in the nation’s capital.”

Co-owner Bill Lynch added that Olsen “brings a deep understanding of what it takes to compete, both on and off the field, to foster championship teams, and to develop a club that reflects the unique energy and grit of D.C.” The statement also included high praise from a team investor.

Notably left out of the statement was the name of co-owner Y. Michele Kang, the CEO of the McLean-based IT company Cognosante.

Kang, who became a part owner of the team last year, was “kept in the dark” about the decision to hire Olsen, according to Washington Post soccer reporter Steven Goff. Kang and co-owner Baldwin have reportedly been at odds recently — the former fighting for a controlling share of the soccer club, while Baldwin has told fellow team leaders that Kang is attempting to take over as CEO, according to emails The Washington Post obtained.

A Washington Spirit spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a press contact for Cognosante, Kang’s company.

Meanwhile, the league is investigating former head coach Richie Burke, who was accused of unleashing verbal and emotional abuse and racially insensitive comments against players, including four players who left the team because of his behavior, the Post reported. The team has been without a permanent head coach since Burke stepped down in mid-August, and has been led by assistant coach Kris Ward in the interim. Based on the Spirit website, it appears Larry Best will remain president of “sporting operations” while Olsen will take over “team operations.”

Olsen said in a statement that he loved being part of the D.C. United club for more than two decades, but that he’s ready for a new challenge in the city he loves.

“The Spirit squad is an exciting team, and the NWSL is on the rise,” Olsen said. “I am eager to get to work building on that momentum to help bring another title to D.C. and deepen our responsibility to the DMV community and our fans.”

On Twitter, fans and sports reporters responded favorably to the news of the Olsen hire, but criticized the organization’s handling of it. Specifically, some accused the team of hypocrisy for promoting “women leaders night” later this month while there are reports of a woman co-owner being left out of the decision-making process.

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