FCV DA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

I would stay away. It is jekyl and hyde. Everyone loves him until he coaches your daughter. He curses, favors some girls over others, will take you to a tournament in another state just to sit your child with no warning, and worse of all - he is all about winning. Yelling at the girls when they loose isn't even the worst. He will scream across a field "Don't ever do that again', 'Who is that to', 'Why are you doing that?' 'I guess you want to loose'. Sprinkeld with curse words. Sometimes he tells them how lazy their parents are for not bringing them to him for private training and recounts how amazing he was when he was young compared to where the girls are right now. I know it sounds hard to believe but I am not making this up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met Bobby a few weeks back at a soccer related session. I thought he seemed nice. I am just being honest. I do not understand all the anger. He can’t help if the club he is working at was sold. I was also impressed with the various age groups practicing. Remember when you are putting someone down that there is a person attached to your “Anonymous” rant. It just isn’t nice. I am getting embarrassed to read the soccer part of DCUM because I cannot believe parents stoop this low.

You met the dude once and feel you have a better take away than people in his presence a year?

Oh good lord. I also talked to him after and yes he seemed nice. I also saw him
when his team played our team and I did not see anything crazy. If you are mad then why not talk it through rather than damaging someon’s reputation on an online forum that most of the DC/Va/Md soccer community reads. I like reading helpful information but I am
seeing a lot of just mean and not helpful stuff. Can we all just try to stick to not getting so
Personal?

Ooooooo three times. Well then. By all means. I defer from our experience to you. I shall by him the Grandeest of the Grande that Starbucks offers.

While he prob couldn’t help the club being sold. He could have oh I don’t know, not withheld information until people paid. Or here’s one, not recruit players to come under the same lack of information. But your right. Hey, what kind of latte does he like?

New poster here. You know how sales, mergers, acquisitions work right? NDA's and Confidentiality agreements? At my job when we're working through a sale/merger, you can't talk about that stuff with anyone until it's done. Why do you care? Are you FCV? If not, then why do you even care.? And, the latte comment is lost on me. Why do you care? If you're not at FCV and don't want to be, then why does it matter to you. The parents who are there will decide what's best for them if changes start to become problematic. Do you really think the parents should just demand their money back and run from DA teams that are performing well together because you think that maybe there might be some changes eventually? Come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

I would stay away. It is jekyl and hyde. Everyone loves him until he coaches your daughter. He curses, favors some girls over others, will take you to a tournament in another state just to sit your child with no warning, and worse of all - he is all about winning. Yelling at the girls when they loose isn't even the worst. He will scream across a field "Don't ever do that again', 'Who is that to', 'Why are you doing that?' 'I guess you want to loose'. Sprinkeld with curse words. Sometimes he tells them how lazy their parents are for not bringing them to him for private training and recounts how amazing he was when he was young compared to where the girls are right now. I know it sounds hard to believe but I am not making this up.

But the training environment at FCV is like non other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

He is a good coach. My daughter has played for him since ~U10 age off and on for different things. We've used him for private lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

I would stay away. It is jekyl and hyde. Everyone loves him until he coaches your daughter. He curses, favors some girls over others, will take you to a tournament in another state just to sit your child with no warning, and worse of all - he is all about winning. Yelling at the girls when they loose isn't even the worst. He will scream across a field "Don't ever do that again', 'Who is that to', 'Why are you doing that?' 'I guess you want to loose'. Sprinkeld with curse words. Sometimes he tells them how lazy their parents are for not bringing them to him for private training and recounts how amazing he was when he was young compared to where the girls are right now. I know it sounds hard to believe but I am not making this up.

But the training environment at FCV is like non other.

All this negativity.

Does it derive from jealousy? Bitterness over non-offers?

FCV is an outstanding place to train (see how I didn't put my daughter first there).

Don't listen to the whiners who didn't get an offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met Bobby a few weeks back at a soccer related session. I thought he seemed nice. I am just being honest. I do not understand all the anger. He can’t help if the club he is working at was sold. I was also impressed with the various age groups practicing. Remember when you are putting someone down that there is a person attached to your “Anonymous” rant. It just isn’t nice. I am getting embarrassed to read the soccer part of DCUM because I cannot believe parents stoop this low.

You met the dude once and feel you have a better take away than people in his presence a year?

Oh good lord. I also talked to him after and yes he seemed nice. I also saw him
when his team played our team and I did not see anything crazy. If you are mad then why not talk it through rather than damaging someon’s reputation on an online forum that most of the DC/Va/Md soccer community reads. I like reading helpful information but I am
seeing a lot of just mean and not helpful stuff. Can we all just try to stick to not getting so
Personal?

Ooooooo three times. Well then. By all means. I defer from our experience to you. I shall by him the Grandeest of the Grande that Starbucks offers.

While he prob couldn’t help the club being sold. He could have oh I don’t know, not withheld information until people paid. Or here’s one, not recruit players to come under the same lack of information. But your right. Hey, what kind of latte does he like?

New poster here. You know how sales, mergers, acquisitions work right? NDA's and Confidentiality agreements? At my job when we're working through a sale/merger, you can't talk about that stuff with anyone until it's done. Why do you care? Are you FCV? If not, then why do you even care.? And, the latte comment is lost on me. Why do you care? If you're not at FCV and don't want to be, then why does it matter to you. The parents who are there will decide what's best for them if changes start to become problematic. Do you really think the parents should just demand their money back and run from DA teams that are performing well together because you think that maybe there might be some changes eventually? Come on.

That’s fair, but what if it was disclosed that the sale was signed off on months ago and the information about the sale was purposely withheld from parents during tryout season?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think Bobby reads DCUM?

Not only does he read the forum he is actively posting.

Why do people do this?

Everyone is Anonymous. You have no way of knowing unless you are Bobby.

I know I'm not Bobby, so that eliminates one Anonymous.

Who else would say hte following the way it is stated and who else would know some of those details? Really, a parent talks like this?:

Wow...while you can compare clubs and offering, there isn't a club anywhere in NoVa that trains like FCV. I hear it from parents all the time that come in for tryouts. FCV is still getting stragglers from MU coming for tryouts as of this week. If a player wants to play near home and play with friends, that is fine. But the training the would get is not even close in comparison.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/360/804708.page#15125815

As a parent, I've heard these words from friends of ours whose kids were trying out. Their words, not Bobby's or mine, about how much better the training is and how much more intense it is.

So it could be from anyone.

Nope. No parent talks like this in general and certainly not to other parents at a tryout. But only someone who is actually a parent would know this.

What parent is at the fields so much and is so approachable that they actually "hear it from parents all the time that come in for tryouts"?

What FCV parent is so intimate with how other clubs train to be able to draw such a conclusion? As if Clyde Watson just runs a shit show in McLean and has never been able to get kids recruited?

And what is actually so unique to how FCV trains in the first place? Is it some proprietary blend of drills, swagger and tweets that no other club can match?

At a ID session parents are pretty focused on how their kid is doing at a tryout. If the parent of a kid trying out at a club does happen to talk to a current team parent they are likely to ASK about the club and the training they are not likely to comment on how it differs or compares to where they have been.

Parents are also very child centric in their description of a program. They would never sound like an Augusta Masters announcer saying trite soundbites like "there isn't a club anywhere in NoVa that trains like FCV" that sound like "FCV, a training experience like non-other." No parent ever talks about a club in such a way. A new parent would want to know HOW practices are run, how playing time is distributed, extra costs, winter training etc.

So Bobby, if you want to sound like a parent you should probably start by being one first. But here are some tips for some things you can say that will pass as parent speak:

The following are some up beat and peppy lines:
"I've seen my kid really develop the last two years"
"My kid really enjoys the challenging environment"
"My kid is valued and the sideline atmosphere is great"
"The kids really get along great on and off the field"

Here are some reserved lines you can also use. These are more neutral in tone:
"Playing time is generally split among 6-7 kids who get 30-40% of the minutes."
"Communication from some of the coaches is great but not all"
"Training is pretty good but playing time could be better"
"There is some favoritism but I've seen worse in other places"

But note how the parent speaks through the prism of their own child's experience and not over glamorizing the club as a whole. For parents it is about the kid first and foremost. A parent will almost never speak about the club other than through the perspective of organizational elements like communication, cost etc. Parents will talk about their kids coach but not about the club training overall. They will discuss the differences between coaches and they view their kids coach as the focus of their child's training and they NEVER view coaches as interchangeable. WHO their coach is going to be is the single most important aspect in their decision, not THE CLUB. They will talk about their coach and only compare to another coach in that they either feel lucky with who they have or they feel envious of the coach they don't have.

Parents are also more consumed with game minutes than they are with a training experience like non-other.

I'll give you a guess how I know you are wrong?

The speculation on this board is amazing. The general disdain for a kids sports club and the coaches working there...wow.

Not every kid can cut it...maybe yours. Who knows. But the anger and bitterness won't help that or your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met Bobby a few weeks back at a soccer related session. I thought he seemed nice. I am just being honest. I do not understand all the anger. He can’t help if the club he is working at was sold. I was also impressed with the various age groups practicing. Remember when you are putting someone down that there is a person attached to your “Anonymous” rant. It just isn’t nice. I am getting embarrassed to read the soccer part of DCUM because I cannot believe parents stoop this low.

You met the dude once and feel you have a better take away than people in his presence a year?

Oh good lord. I also talked to him after and yes he seemed nice. I also saw him
when his team played our team and I did not see anything crazy. If you are mad then why not talk it through rather than damaging someon’s reputation on an online forum that most of the DC/Va/Md soccer community reads. I like reading helpful information but I am
seeing a lot of just mean and not helpful stuff. Can we all just try to stick to not getting so
Personal?

Ooooooo three times. Well then. By all means. I defer from our experience to you. I shall by him the Grandeest of the Grande that Starbucks offers.

While he prob couldn’t help the club being sold. He could have oh I don’t know, not withheld information until people paid. Or here’s one, not recruit players to come under the same lack of information. But your right. Hey, what kind of latte does he like?

New poster here. You know how sales, mergers, acquisitions work right? NDA's and Confidentiality agreements? At my job when we're working through a sale/merger, you can't talk about that stuff with anyone until it's done. Why do you care? Are you FCV? If not, then why do you even care.? And, the latte comment is lost on me. Why do you care? If you're not at FCV and don't want to be, then why does it matter to you. The parents who are there will decide what's best for them if changes start to become problematic. Do you really think the parents should just demand their money back and run from DA teams that are performing well together because you think that maybe there might be some changes eventually? Come on.

That’s fair, but what if it was disclosed that the sale was signed off on months ago and the information about the sale was purposely withheld from parents during tryout season?

From all the FCV parents I know, wouldn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met Bobby a few weeks back at a soccer related session. I thought he seemed nice. I am just being honest. I do not understand all the anger. He can’t help if the club he is working at was sold. I was also impressed with the various age groups practicing. Remember when you are putting someone down that there is a person attached to your “Anonymous” rant. It just isn’t nice. I am getting embarrassed to read the soccer part of DCUM because I cannot believe parents stoop this low.

You met the dude once and feel you have a better take away than people in his presence a year?

Oh good lord. I also talked to him after and yes he seemed nice. I also saw him
when his team played our team and I did not see anything crazy. If you are mad then why not talk it through rather than damaging someon’s reputation on an online forum that most of the DC/Va/Md soccer community reads. I like reading helpful information but I am
seeing a lot of just mean and not helpful stuff. Can we all just try to stick to not getting so
Personal?

Ooooooo three times. Well then. By all means. I defer from our experience to you. I shall by him the Grandeest of the Grande that Starbucks offers.

While he prob couldn’t help the club being sold. He could have oh I don’t know, not withheld information until people paid. Or here’s one, not recruit players to come under the same lack of information. But your right. Hey, what kind of latte does he like?

New poster here. You know how sales, mergers, acquisitions work right? NDA's and Confidentiality agreements? At my job when we're working through a sale/merger, you can't talk about that stuff with anyone until it's done. Why do you care? Are you FCV? If not, then why do you even care.? And, the latte comment is lost on me. Why do you care? If you're not at FCV and don't want to be, then why does it matter to you. The parents who are there will decide what's best for them if changes start to become problematic. Do you really think the parents should just demand their money back and run from DA teams that are performing well together because you think that maybe there might be some changes eventually? Come on.

That’s fair, but what if it was disclosed that the sale was signed off on months ago and the information about the sale was purposely withheld from parents during tryout season?

But nothing of the sort has been disclosed. We can "what if" all day long and then get mad at the "what if", but I've not heard anything like that. Reading that on a message board from someone with an axe to grind won't make me buy that scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

I would stay away. It is jekyl and hyde. Everyone loves him until he coaches your daughter. He curses, favors some girls over others, will take you to a tournament in another state just to sit your child with no warning, and worse of all - he is all about winning. Yelling at the girls when they loose isn't even the worst. He will scream across a field "Don't ever do that again', 'Who is that to', 'Why are you doing that?' 'I guess you want to loose'. Sprinkeld with curse words. Sometimes he tells them how lazy their parents are for not bringing them to him for private training and recounts how amazing he was when he was young compared to where the girls are right now. I know it sounds hard to believe but I am not making this up.

But the training environment at FCV is like non other.

All this negativity.

Does it derive from jealousy? Bitterness over non-offers?

FCV is an outstanding place to train (see how I didn't put my daughter first there).

Don't listen to the whiners who didn't get an offer.

None of the above. The poster asked a question and since I have first hand knowledge I wanted to share it. People can make their own decision, but this was our experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

I would stay away. It is jekyl and hyde. Everyone loves him until he coaches your daughter. He curses, favors some girls over others, will take you to a tournament in another state just to sit your child with no warning, and worse of all - he is all about winning. Yelling at the girls when they loose isn't even the worst. He will scream across a field "Don't ever do that again', 'Who is that to', 'Why are you doing that?' 'I guess you want to loose'. Sprinkeld with curse words. Sometimes he tells them how lazy their parents are for not bringing them to him for private training and recounts how amazing he was when he was young compared to where the girls are right now. I know it sounds hard to believe but I am not making this up.

But the training environment at FCV is like non other.

All this negativity.

Does it derive from jealousy? Bitterness over non-offers?

FCV is an outstanding place to train (see how I didn't put my daughter first there).

Don't listen to the whiners who didn't get an offer.

None of the above. The poster asked a question and since I have first hand knowledge I wanted to share it. People can make their own decision, but this was our experience.

Ahhh....and now you know...

Kid didn't get an offer huh. Or second team offer after putting your trust in him, playing futsal for him, helping him out.

...the rest of the story.

[Anonymous]

I love how every negative post about FCV has to be someone who did not get an offer or a former Dad. Really? You must be walking through life with blinders on.

Every one knows some info about your club, especially the coaches and parents behavior when they play games against you. We can hear the coaches yelling at the kids. We see the parents fighting on the sidelines. All that contributes to your reputation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

I would stay away. It is jekyl and hyde. Everyone loves him until he coaches your daughter. He curses, favors some girls over others, will take you to a tournament in another state just to sit your child with no warning, and worse of all - he is all about winning. Yelling at the girls when they loose isn't even the worst. He will scream across a field "Don't ever do that again', 'Who is that to', 'Why are you doing that?' 'I guess you want to loose'. Sprinkeld with curse words. Sometimes he tells them how lazy their parents are for not bringing them to him for private training and recounts how amazing he was when he was young compared to where the girls are right now. I know it sounds hard to believe but I am not making this up.

But the training environment at FCV is like non other.

All this negativity.

Does it derive from jealousy? Bitterness over non-offers?

FCV is an outstanding place to train (see how I didn't put my daughter first there).

Don't listen to the whiners who didn't get an offer.

None of the above. The poster asked a question and since I have first hand knowledge I wanted to share it. People can make their own decision, but this was our experience.

Ahhh....and now you know...

Kid didn't get an offer huh. Or second team offer after putting your trust in him, playing futsal for him, helping him out.

...the rest of the story.

Right, how many kids didn't get an offer for his team if he is still advertising slots for both of his teams in SoccerWire:
https://www.soccerwire.com/classifieds/fc-virginia-looking-for-talented-06-girls-and-05-girls-3/

LOL!!!

Quite the destination club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is Gus Donolo as a coach? Do the girls like him? We are considering a non-DA team but want to make sure he is just as committed to the non-DA players as those in DA.

I would stay away. It is jekyl and hyde. Everyone loves him until he coaches your daughter. He curses, favors some girls over others, will take you to a tournament in another state just to sit your child with no warning, and worse of all - he is all about winning. Yelling at the girls when they loose isn't even the worst. He will scream across a field "Don't ever do that again', 'Who is that to', 'Why are you doing that?' 'I guess you want to loose'. Sprinkeld with curse words. Sometimes he tells them how lazy their parents are for not bringing them to him for private training and recounts how amazing he was when he was young compared to where the girls are right now. I know it sounds hard to believe but I am not making this up.

But the training environment at FCV is like non other.

All this negativity.

Does it derive from jealousy? Bitterness over non-offers?

FCV is an outstanding place to train (see how I didn't put my daughter first there).

Don't listen to the whiners who didn't get an offer.

Because you don't have a daughter there coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think Bobby reads DCUM?

Not only does he read the forum he is actively posting.

Why do people do this?

Everyone is Anonymous. You have no way of knowing unless you are Bobby.

I know I'm not Bobby, so that eliminates one Anonymous.

Who else would say hte following the way it is stated and who else would know some of those details? Really, a parent talks like this?:

Wow...while you can compare clubs and offering, there isn't a club anywhere in NoVa that trains like FCV. I hear it from parents all the time that come in for tryouts. FCV is still getting stragglers from MU coming for tryouts as of this week. If a player wants to play near home and play with friends, that is fine. But the training the would get is not even close in comparison.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/360/804708.page#15125815

As a parent, I've heard these words from friends of ours whose kids were trying out. Their words, not Bobby's or mine, about how much better the training is and how much more intense it is.

So it could be from anyone.

Nope. No parent talks like this in general and certainly not to other parents at a tryout. But only someone who is actually a parent would know this.

What parent is at the fields so much and is so approachable that they actually "hear it from parents all the time that come in for tryouts"?

What FCV parent is so intimate with how other clubs train to be able to draw such a conclusion? As if Clyde Watson just runs a shit show in McLean and has never been able to get kids recruited?

And what is actually so unique to how FCV trains in the first place? Is it some proprietary blend of drills, swagger and tweets that no other club can match?

At a ID session parents are pretty focused on how their kid is doing at a tryout. If the parent of a kid trying out at a club does happen to talk to a current team parent they are likely to ASK about the club and the training they are not likely to comment on how it differs or compares to where they have been.

Parents are also very child centric in their description of a program. They would never sound like an Augusta Masters announcer saying trite soundbites like "there isn't a club anywhere in NoVa that trains like FCV" that sound like "FCV, a training experience like non-other." No parent ever talks about a club in such a way. A new parent would want to know HOW practices are run, how playing time is distributed, extra costs, winter training etc.

So Bobby, if you want to sound like a parent you should probably start by being one first. But here are some tips for some things you can say that will pass as parent speak:

The following are some up beat and peppy lines:
"I've seen my kid really develop the last two years"
"My kid really enjoys the challenging environment"
"My kid is valued and the sideline atmosphere is great"
"The kids really get along great on and off the field"

Here are some reserved lines you can also use. These are more neutral in tone:
"Playing time is generally split among 6-7 kids who get 30-40% of the minutes."
"Communication from some of the coaches is great but not all"
"Training is pretty good but playing time could be better"
"There is some favoritism but I've seen worse in other places"

But note how the parent speaks through the prism of their own child's experience and not over glamorizing the club as a whole. For parents it is about the kid first and foremost. A parent will almost never speak about the club other than through the perspective of organizational elements like communication, cost etc. Parents will talk about their kids coach but not about the club training overall. They will discuss the differences between coaches and they view their kids coach as the focus of their child's training and they NEVER view coaches as interchangeable. WHO their coach is going to be is the single most important aspect in their decision, not THE CLUB. They will talk about their coach and only compare to another coach in that they either feel lucky with who they have or they feel envious of the coach they don't have.

Parents are also more consumed with game minutes than they are with a training experience like non-other.

The above post will probably get deleted. You know, friends in high places and all. But I just wanted to say DDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

That is all.

One goofball patting another on the back.

I am a parent and I say the types of things you think only coaches say. Some of us add a little intellect to our conversations not just grunting.