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MLS rescinds Olsen suspension, adds additional game to Schällibaum

Ben Olsen

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Major League Soccer has toed a hard line this season on coaches leaving their technical area, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when both D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen and Montreal Impact manager Marco Schällibaum were sent off last Saturday by the referee.

What is surprising however is that on Friday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced that he has rescinded Olsen’s automatic one-game suspension and fine, while adding an additional match suspension and fine of $5,000 to Schällibaum.

Both coaches were ejected in the 76th minute of last Saturday’s match at State Saputo in Montreal, after Schällibaum raced out of his technical area to confront D.C. United defender James Riley. Riley had gone in strong along the sideline on Justin Mapp, knocking the Impact winger into a television camera.

The ejection was the third for Schällibaum this season, which was the reason given for the additional suspension and fine. The first-year Impact coach will be eligible to return to the sidelines on September 8, when the Impact visit the New England Revolution.

What do you think of this news? Do you agree with Garber’s decision? Surprised that Olsen’s suspension was rescinded?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Poor Ben looks like he just got evicted in that photo.

    Question: Are there any rules or at least customs in various leagues about how much coaches can yell, quantitatively and qualitatively, at the officials? Is MLS different from other leagues? Sone coaches (Peter Vermes comes to mind) never seem to stop complaining about something. Just wondering, folks.

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  2. It feels like all the fire bb haters have moved to Olsen, who has held on to his job despite their current record for a reason. He is a good coach, he is determined, and he has held on to that despite the management not bringing in top players. Last year’s grit and determination was due to Benny, not in spite of him! The team obviously still believes in him, you can tell by the way their is still camaraderie during this terrible season. They now have a chance to start fresh next year.

    As far as the suspicion, Olsen was ejected before the other guy, and the other guy did the business, not him! Ridiculous! D.c. Really has had everything go wrong this year, but no one has lost their heart besides bmac who was rightly traded. Next year we ought to have the best luck ever!

    Cheers!

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  3. As a DC fan, I’m shocked they let Olsen off. He was spouting some pretty horrific stuff and using sailor language to describe his feelings. Funnily, none of those words were beeped out on CSN. Heard it all!

    To be fair, he deserved a one week suspension. I think Garber just pities us (DC) at this point, and figures Olsen on the sideline doesn’t really help us so what’s the point…

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    • Taking off my “I hate DC hat” for a moment and trying to be objective, I can’t believe DC has not cammed Olsen yet, Open Cup run or nort. He’s a poor evaluator of talent, a poor strategist and seemingly emotionally unstable. He’s a terrible coach.

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    • Ha. Sailor language. I know technically that is grounds for ejection, but you have to be kidding if you think any time someone utters a word of that nature their ejected. It’s one of those rules that is rarely enforced to its full extent.

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  4. me thinks Mr. Garber and Schallibaum will be having a meeting this off season. No way you can have a coach getting ejected once every 7 games…. add the missed games to that, and he might as well just split head coaching duties.

    Guy is a joke

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  5. Dan, you frame the rescinded Olsen suspensions as surprising given the league’s strict rules on coaches and their technical areas, but I thought Olsen didn’t leave his? So why would that be surprising?

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    • Jonk: I agree. For those who saw it live or bother to check into the facts later, the surprise was that Olsen was ejected. It’s not like MLS decided to be lenient. The ejection was wrong. Of course, when they reversed it, the Law of Conservation of Suspensions had to be applied and with Olsen losing 1 game, Schällibaum had to pick up one game. 🙂

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      • Yep. The original ejection was for Olson leaving his designated area. And if you watch the film, he didn’t leave it. In fact, Olson pointed out that Schallilibaum left the area, they started arguing and then the CCR tossed them both out.

    • They all use potty talk. What makes me mad is that the league gets on the fans case for language, and yet the players spout filth out all the time. The day the league said stop the “you suck a**hole” chant to fans, I go to a RSL game and clearly hear Hoppenart from Philly scream the F word at least 10+ times. Makes me sick, I use language, I’m not a goody goody type, but I think Don should worry about the players before the paying fans with his censorship. I did see the ejections on direct kick, and language aside- Olsen was defending his player, but stayed in his area, Montreal’s coach was ten feet out of his area, and screaming in Olsen’s, and the officals face. At that moument I thought he should be tossed, and Ben should be told to sit down, and calm down. I’m happy Garber rescinded it- BUT he’s still an A** in my eyes for censoring any fan!

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      • The difference in the language is that the chants in the stands are per-planned and chanted by hundreds at the same time. That’s not even close to a player dropping an F bomb in the heat of the battle. I’ve got a mouth myself but I take my 8 year old daughter to games and there is no way I want her hearing chants like that from the stands.
        It’s the same policy as the anti-racism policy in Europe.

      • I too take my 8 year old daughter (as well as my 4 year old daughter) to games, and don’t want to hear it. And honestly the antics of the supporter section are sometimes as interesting to the kids as the game. But I used to go to games in DK and they imported most of their chants from the UK and there is something cathartic and viscerally satisfying about chanting “I can’t stand your f@&^ing sh!t,, no, no!”

      • The notion that the campaign to remove foul language from chants in MLS is similar to the campaign to remove racism from the stands in Europe is something else. The language thing in MLS is incidental whereas the anti-racism in Europe is essential.

      • Those people have just as much a right to say what they want to say as you have a right to keep your daughter from hearing it. I suggest you stop bringing her to games and then both you and the YSA shouters will be happy.

        Oh, and Daniel, it’s “stade” not state

      • Actually, Original Aaron, those people have no right to say anything. What makes you think that they do?

        And why do you suggest Karim leave his children at home? If you are a fan of American soccer then your number one goal must be to grow the game in America, and one important way to do that is having kids join their parents at the games, growing up around the games. So why would the league want to discourage that?

  6. Can’t disagree. Schallibum appears to be making an aggressive physical move onto the pitch at an opposing player. He was rightfully ejected and should probably have seen more.

    The referee lost the plot by sending off Olsen who appears to be trying to protect his players from the antics of the other coach.

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  7. Olsen not being suspended means they will probably lose under his guidance again.

    He is a terrible evaluator of talent,a poor technical coach and full of himself. DC will never win with him.

    As an RBNY supporter, I love what he has done in DC.

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      • With Lionard Pajoy up front. I’m sure Smith has fond memories of all of RBNY’s storied accomplishments.

      • i’m all for bashing NJ

        but LP as our starting striker was, is, and never will be a wise choice

        Olsen made his job tougher than it needed to be by freezing out Salihi

        He also let his team down by fielding an inferior player who crippled our attack and sabotaged his mates’ efforts to win

      • the flaw in this reasoning is the assumption that nobody else could accomplish that feat.

        a better coach wouldve taken that roster to MLS CUP

      • That roster was one of the worst in history, which is actually no reflection on Olsen’s abilities as a coach because we made it that far DESPITE Benny, who tried sabotaging us the whole season.

        We won due to luck and grit. Sadly, this season we are out of luck and barely have any grit left. Thankfully, we’ve brought in a number of youth players who don’t care about Olsen’s system and are just playing for the fun of it. Give me that kind of soccer over hardworkers any day.

      • i agree they won DESPITE the coaching staff (except Onstad) which leads me to believe that a skilled coach couldve channeled their grit and good chemistry into a championship team

        …sure there were weak spots but no way you’ll convince me Salihi, Bosko, Najar, Deleon, Dero, Pontius, Kitchen, and Hamid add up to the worst roster in league history

        this 2013 squad is pretty close but i think theirs been a few weaker squads over the years

      • How, you think were playing better due to “youth players who don’t care about Olsen’s system” is beyond me. Olsen certainly shares blame for this seasons issues, but taking all the credit for improved play away from him, while placing all the blame for the rough spots on him is a poor assertion.

        I think Ben will prove you wrong in the coming years. While this season has been a struggle, last season was a team punching above their weight. Their building the team for the long term now and will be much improved next season.

    • I was going to take offense to your assertions of Olsen until I realized if anyone would know about a a terrible evaluator of talent,a poor technical coach and full of himself, it would be a Redbull fan. Now I have to rethink my opinion of Olsen.

      hmmm…

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