D.C. United and Ben Olsen: This was obvious, right?

D.C. United have re-signed head Ben Olsen to a new contract through 2021. This was an obvious agreement to make happen, right?

Time in football management is a rare commodity. The continuity and security that it secures are rarely benefits that managers experience. This is especially true in leagues with promotion and relegation where there are major financial implications for success and failure.

And fans are often part of the problem. They are impatient and fickle. They are desperate for immediate success and have little mercy for when it doesn’t arrive, particularly if expectations are higher based on the quality of the squad or spending in the transfer market.

In fact, oftentimes, it is the expectations that are the problem, not a manager’s inability to meet them.

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This week, after the news was reported some time ago, it was officially announced that Ben Olsen had signed a new two-year contract with D.C. United which will see him stay in the capital through the 2021 season, all being well.

Speaking about the agreement, Olsen said:

"“I am proud and humbled to have been associated with this club for the last 21 years. I am thrilled that ownership has shown faith in the path my staff and I are taking with this extension. Our aim is to continue to put a team on the field that our fans and community will identify with and be proud of. The major goal, however, remains the same since the day I took the job and that’s to bring trophies back to D.C.”"

This move was obvious. Olsen is the second-longest tenured head coach in MLS. He has led United to the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, won the U.S. Open Cup, and has made D.C. one of the more stable franchises in the league, at least in terms of consistent regular-season success over an extended period.

And yet, if you were to read the replies to D.C. United’s official tweet announcing the news on Thursday, you would think that Olsen had ticked off the whole fanbase by killing their pets. The most liked reply to the tweet is simply seven thumbs down emojis. Most of the comments are negative, with only the odd fan coming to the rescue of Olsen.

Whether Olsen has done a good job or not seems like the wrong question to be asking. Given the momentum he and his players generated in the second half of last season, extending his stay is as much a continuation of the good work he started last year as it is an appraisal of his coaching qualities.

Olsen’s extension is obvious. And the fact that it is obvious means that it is the right call, despite what some fans may think.