In the immediate aftermath of D.C. United's 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union Sunday afternoon (which was, we'll just point out again, spoiled by an execrable officiating performance), the NBC Sports Network cameras caught Chris Korb and Daniel Woolard exchanging angry words and angry shoves. You can actually catching the exchange by skipping to the 9:00 mark of MLS' game highlights here.
United has a quick turnaround before playing the Chicago Fire Wednesday night at RFK Stadium, so Ben Olsen was free to give his thoughts on the matter. What he said, according to MLSSoccer.com, is below the jump.
"I addressed that in the end," Olsen said. "That just can't happen on camera. That's my message.
"If you want to come in the locker room and throw someone against the wall if they screwed up, that's part of this. That's emotional, professional sports. But I can't have it on the field in the camera's eyes."
Now ...
Olsen's not wrong here. There's no doubt that a bunch of stuff happens in locker rooms that never sees the light of day. But with D.C. United stumbling down the standings in MLS' Eastern Conference, is it is it not fair to wonder if Olsen's famous intensity and passion (the traits that made him so beloved as a player and which) are ultimately doing his players more harm than good? Rather than focus and controlled aggression, couldn't such traits result in losses of composure?