Congratulations to Jeff Sponel, D.C. United's May Coach of the Month!

D.C. United's Coaches Association would like to honor Jeff Sponel as our Coach of the Month for May. Thank you to everyone that nominated Jeff. Below is a brief biography of Jeff's coaching accomplishments. It was clear to everyone here at D.C. United that Jeff is a dedicated coach, who deserves this recognition. If you know another coach like Jeff, nominate them today! Click here to tell us about a coach you know.

Jeff has been coaching for six years now; five of those have been as an assistant for his two sons' teams. Last fall he took the reins of a U12 team for Fern Creek Optimist and discovered that there is a lot more to do going from an assistant to a head coach. He has been amazed and found new respect for other coaches given the time he devotes to constructing practices, strategies, lineups and substitution patterns. When he isn't busy with his U12 Screaming Eagles, he is out on the field with his middle son as an assistant coach for the U6 Dragons.

Jeff's coaching experience and knowledge comes from playing soccer from the time he was in third grade. He continued to play through high school, at the intramural level in college and various leagues as an adult. Prior to playing soccer he played baseball like many children in Louisville, Kentucky, but baseball was becoming too competitive. His parents wanted him to be in an environment where he could learn to play a game and not feel unreasonable pressure to perform. His father was involved with the local Optimist group in his neighborhood and started the Bon Air Optimist Soccer league that Jeff played in until he went to high school.

His head coaching duties didn't start until last fall when the U12 division at Fern Creek Optimist needed a coach for the second team. Jeff volunteered to coach and his son followed him. He needed a name for the team and wanted to use FC United, but thought it could be confused with a local competitive team that uses the name United. His wife and son suggested that he still use DC United as the source for the name. Jeff heard about the supporters group Screaming Eagles and liked the name so much that he decided to use it for his team. After ordering official Screaming Eagles patches and having them sewn onto the team jerseys, the Fern Creek Screaming Eagles took flight.

Jeff has been a different kind of coach to his Screaming Eagles. He is very passionate about soccer and in teaching his Eagles how to play the game. One of the first things that he did was to get rid of the word team. He wanted his players to know that when they step onto the field they are not a team but a "band of brothers," a family that cares for each other and works together to accomplish their goals. Because they are a "band of brothers" they have become very good friends both on and off of the field. The FC Screaming Eagles had two goals for that first season, not allow any goals (that was Jeff's goal) and the Eagles decided that they wanted to win the State tournament. As of yet these goals have not been realized; however they have continued to work hard to meet those goals. This year Jeff has added some extra incentive for the zero goals allowed by making the team run an extra big lap for every goal they allow. A big lap is one lap around the Fern Creek Optimist complex, which is approximately 0.6 miles.

When Jeff was growing up in Louisville, playing baseball was easy to pick up because every Saturday and Sunday you could catch a game on TV and see your favorite players. After the game you could go outside and try to emulate your childhood heroes. It is hard to find a soccer game on TV prior to the start of the MLS season without having access to digital cable or the Internet. To help foster his players' excitement and love for soccer, he gives them homework. During the week he will tape games from various leagues, MLS, English Premier League, and Internationals and hand out copies to his players and tell them to watch the game and be ready to discuss the game at next weeks practice. Jeff believes providing his players with the ability to see games from different levels gives them an insight into how the game is played. Most of the players on his team haven't watched many games on TV or in person, unless you count them watching their brother or sister play. This homework gives them the advantage of seeing highly skilled professionals perform the same skills they work on in practice. The players actually look forward to getting their homework and on occasion have been heard asking each other, did you see that goal? Jeff will discuss with the players, and walk them through where the play started and how it progressed down the field and how it was finished.

Jeff doesn't credit the success with the Screaming Eagles to anything he has done but instead insists that it is the willingness of his Eagles to listen, practice and learn how to play and have fun playing soccer. Jeff does recognize the Screaming Eagles achievements are the byproducts of their hard work on and off the field and the support that they receive from their coaches and parents, with the parents' support being very critical to their success. Jeff would like to thank his Eagles, assistant coaches, and parents for their support and nomination for this award. He would also like to thank DC United for this award and the enjoyment that he has received from watching games on TV or on the road in Columbus and finally being able to see one in DC.