CLUB

At Olympiacos Soccer Club Washington, DC, we are passionate (ONE PASSION) about teaching "proper" possession and passing European style soccer, and helping players achieve the highest playing level possible (ONE DREAM). Players learn to play as a team (ONE ACADEMY) by working both on and off the field to develop their soccer IQ and skills. We focus on the teachings of competitive soccer and player development while instilling the spirit of sportsmanship, team camaraderie, and community service to our players. We are Olympiacos Soccer Club Washington, DC (ONE FAMILY)!  As our mantra goes — "One Passion. One Dream. One Academy. One Family."!

Our 5 CLUB PRINCIPLES:

1) Academics
2) Mental & Psychological Strength
3) Technical & Tactical Skill
4) Physical Development
5) Team Unity

1) Academics: Olympiacos players are taught to understand the game properly through on-field training, classroom sessions and video analysis of game and practice sessions. Players develop their soccer IQ, understanding their individual positions as well as their role within the structure of the game. We teach our players to "know" and "feel" the game of soccer and react instinctively instead of "thinking".


2) Mental & Psychological Strength: We focus on developing confidence within our individual players and the team dynamic. The confidence Olympiacos players gain prepare them to perform to their full potential and garner trust in their abilities. Our goal is to help our players develop tools needed to address obstacles/challenges they face both on and off the field.

3) Technical & Tactical Skill: Players are taught an array of individual and team offensive and defensive skills (first touch-proper ball control, passing and receiving, dribbling, moving without the ball, 1v1 defense, etc.). Olympiacos players understand their individual roles, awareness on the field and have the ability to make good decisions.

4) Physical Development: We strive to develop injury-free, physically fit players. We develop Olympiacos players in four phases — Phase 1: Core, Balance, and Stability; Phase 2: Reaction, and Agility; Phase 3: Explosive Movement, and Speed; and Phase 4: Stamina 

5) Team Unity: Olympiacos players learn to play as a team using an opportunistic possession-based model focusing on tactical play. We emphasize playing as a collective unit, "no one player is better than the team". Olympiacos players work hard together, and have fun together.

These principles separate us from other clubs. Olympiacos DC is a family. Together with the administration, staff, players and all the fans, we aim to provide world-class soccer at a grassroots level of the game.
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 OLYMPIACOS DC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAMS

Olympiacos Soccer Club Washington, DC (Olympiacos DC) Men's Professional Development / Semi-Professional Teams serve as a pathway for our Olympiacos DC youth team players. The teams compete in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) which is in the fourth tier of the US Soccer pyramid, just below the three professional tiers. The UPSL features nearly 400 clubs nationwide and the league aims to bring structure to the large gap that exists between the youth game and the professional game. The league is a National Affiliate member of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).

The club's Technical Director, Philipp Wank, served as the Head Coach for these teams from 2020 - 2022 (4 seasons). The first team competed in UPSL's Northeast Conference's Premier Division. The Premier Division is considered the top-tier in the league, as its standards of participation is higher than in any other division. The first team made 3 appearances in the Division Final, and was crowned 2023 Division Champions of the DMV South Premier Division. Our second team competed in UPSL's Division I and was crowned 2022 Division Champions. Olympiacos DC is not fielding these men's teams for the Spring 2023 season. Follow us on social media for updates.

  • Our Men’s United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) (Semi-Professional) Premier Division Team are the defending UPSL DMV South Premier Division Champions in the Northeast Conference! The team earned a spot in the National Playoffs Round of 32.
  • The Second Team was crowned UPSL Division I Champions
  • Our first Semi-Professional Team was also Maryland Steward Cup Finalists in one of the most prestigious semi-professional tournaments in the state of Maryland

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 OLYMPIACOS DC ACADEMY

Olympiacos DC Academy is an elite level for our selected youth players. Players have great knowledge of tactics, formations, and proper communication. Academy players are taught how to apply pressure as a unit on defense and offense. They are also taught how to move the ball in a tactical motion based on a task. We push our players to “know” tactics and formations rather than “think.” Our Academy players always work hard at practice and their efforts transfer over to games. Video analysis, homework, evaluations and fitness tests provide for an academically sound foundation developing our players into mature college or pro athletes. At the academy level, we expect our players to play with fewer instructions from the coaching staff during games and to be able to follow the game plan set by the coach.  
  • U15 Boys Team was crowned Virginia Cannon Cup Champions
  • U15 Boys Team was crowned Capital Fall Classic Champions
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 OLYMPIACOS DC JUNIOR ACADEMY

Our main focus at the Junior Academy level is continuing the teaching of soccer fundamentals. At this level, we also place an emphasis on proper soccer communication skills. Although most clubs do not recognize it, we view a Junior Academy as a soccer school and focus on developing players using an educational curriculum that are applied individually and collectively. One curriculum focuses on teaching the players positioning both offensively and defensively. Position-based teaching occurs consistently during training and video sessions — not at the games. We construct our drills to be intense, fun and engaging for all of the players at this level. At this stage, the players begin to learn the key offensive and defensive components of the game to develop their soccer IQ. We base our teaching approach on the following defensive and offensive concepts: 

Defense: offside trap, containing, covering, shifting, observing opponents’ weak and strong side, etc.

Offense: proper decision making, getting out of pressure, passing to feet/space, shooting, movement with and without the ball, etc.

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 OLYMPIACOS DC DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY

The teaching of soccer fundamentals (e.g., proper touch, receiving, ball control) are taught to players during the developmental stage of training. Players learn the basics building blocks of possession soccer needed move to the Jr. Academy level.


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 OLYMPIACOS DC JUNIOR LEGENDS PROGRAM

The Junior Legends Program is an 8-week youth development program focused on helping young soccer players develop their skills while enjoying the great game of soccer. Training is 2 days per week during each session (Fall and Spring sessions). Through a variety of developmentally appropriate activities, free play and fun games, players ages 4 to 8 years old will learn the basic techniques of dribbling, passing, receiving and turning with the ball. The primary goal is to find fun ways to develop soccer skills and a passion for the game while giving players the freedom to try their skills in a game setting. 

COED TEAM (U9)

All players will be taught the following technical skills:

  • Basic ball manipulation including a variety of dribbling techniques which encourage the use of all surfaces of the foot
  • Short passing techniques using the inside of the foot for maximum accuracy
  • Receiving the ball using a variety of foot surfaces so the ball moves in the direction they want to play
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 COACHING STAFF

 

Philipp Wank – Technical Director & Head Coach

Mateen Siddiq – Head Coach

Gabriel “Laki” Psallidas – Head Coach

Ioannnis Kiotsekoglou – Head Coach

Andrew McPhee – Head Coach

Peter Karageorge – Assistant Coach

Andreas Tsaousis – Goalkeeper Coach

Olympiacos DC is proud to have excellent coaches who not only have superb qualifications and hold impressive licenses and certifications, but they are passionate about delivering a results-driven European-based training curriculum. Our club develops and implements successful high-level training methods including life-kinetic, tactical knowledge, and technical skills. Our top-notch coaches are also committed to provide our players with high-level training that pushes them to perform with character, integrity, and competitiveness.

  • Coach Philipp Wank holds a UEFA "B" Coaching License he obtained with Honors.
  • Coach Mateen Siddiq is a midfielder for the UPSL Men's Professional Development Team and is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science.
  • Coach Gabriel "Laki" Psallidas is a midfielder for the UPSL Men's Pro Development Team, played NCAA Division III soccer at Marymount University, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Sports Studies at Marymount University.
  • Coach Ioannnis Kiotsekoglou is the head coach of the Maryland U18 Boys Team. He played NCAA Division II soccer at the University of the District of Columbia.
  • Coach Andrew McPhee is the head coach of the U13 Boys Team. Bio coming soon.
  • Coach Peter Karageorge is an assistant coach for Olympiacos DC's youth teams. Coach Peter also plays on the club's U19 academy team and on the Justice High School Soccer Team in Falls Church, VA. He serves as Team Captain on both his high school team and Olympiacos DC's U19 academy team. Peter is an International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate and an honors student at Justice High School. Coach Peter is also a Certified U.S. Soccer Referee.
  • Coach Andreas Tsaousis represented George Mason University's well-respected NCAA Division I Men's soccer program as a goalkeeper from 2018–2021.

 

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