Middletown, Pa. native Ben Olsen has already won the U.S. Open Cup both as a player and head coach for DC United, but the former FC Delco star will be looking this time to beat Lionel Messi and Inter Miami as head coach of the Houston Dynamo.

Olsen took over as head coach of at the start of the season and has Houston Dynamo into a cup final and in the top four of the Western Conference. The Dynamo finished next to last in the Western Conference last season.

Olsen’s assistant coach with Houston also has local ties. Brendan Burke played at Reading United and was the head coach at Reading United and Bethlehem Steel and a first team assistant for the Philadelphia Union under Jim Curtin.

As a player, Olsen won two MLS Cup titles, two Supporters’ Shields and a U.S. Open Cup with DC United during a career that spanned from 1998-2009. He played for the U.S. in the 2000 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup and earned 37 senior caps for the USMNT. He was the head coach of DC United from 2010-2020 and led them to a U.S. Open Cup title in 2013 despite finishing last place in the Eastern Conference during MLS play.

Olsen grew up in Middletown, Pa., played for Olmstead Regional Soccer Association and was selected for the Eastern PA Youth Soccer, Region 1 and national ODP teams. He captained the FC Delco Force from 1992-1996 and went on to have a successful college career at the University of Virginia after graduating from Middletown Area High School. He was named Parade Magazine’s High School Player of the Year in 1993 and the Soccer America College Player of the Year in 1997.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final will be played at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kickoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network and Paramount in English and on Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish.