Written by Juan Pereira

Photo by Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo announced on Thursday that they extended Ben Olsen’s contract through 2026. Olsen has been a vital part to the Dynamo’s recent success and the front office has labeled him as their leader for the future.

“Ben has been instrumental in leading our club’s resurgence and building a foundation for continued success,” Pat Onstad said. “(Ben Olsen) has also helped rebuild the identity of our club, implementing an attractive style of play, leading a resilient group of players and nurturing young talent from around the world.”

During his short tenure, Ben Olsen has won the U.S. Open Cup, brought the Dynamo to the playoffs, and led the team into a conference final. He’s accomplished this while only having one DP available for most of the year with Sebastian Ferreira going out on loan last year.

Olsen also led the Dynamo’s decent run in Leagues Cup, beating Mexican giants Santos Laguna and Pachuca. In 2023, the Dynamo were 9-2 in elimination matches.

I would like to thank Ted Segal, Pat Onstad and the Houston Dynamo staff and players for their continued support,” Olsen said. “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the past twelve months and am energized to continue raising the standards of our club to ensure the city of Houston is proud of their team.”

The timing of this extension couldn’t have come at a better time. The Dynamo are off to their best start to a season since 2019, and are coming off a big away victory against Minnesota. Olsen was included in the most recent MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday as head coach.

Ben Olsen has instilled a playing style that is certainly turning heads across MLS. The Dynamo are one of the most possession-based squads in North America, and they’ve been able to bring in silverware along with it, beating Inter Miami in the U.S. Open Cup final. That was the first trophy that the Dynamo have brought in since 2018.

The Dynamo will try to defend their U.S. Open Cup title next month in the Round of 32 against Detroit City FC. Ben Olsen has had his fair share of cup success as a player and as a coach, winning the competition a total of three times.