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University of Illinois at Chicago

Univ of Illinois at Chicago Athletic Dept
 Flames Athletic Center 839 W. Roosevelt Rd Chicago, IL 60607
Division 1 Illinois Midwest
Public Very Large National competitor
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Sean Phillips

Sean Phillips enters his 14th season leading the UIC men's soccer program heading into the 2023-23 academic year.


As UIC's head coach since 2010, and a staff member since 2005, Sean Phillips has been a key component in leading UIC to the winningest era in its history.


Phillips led the Flames to the Horizon League semifinals in 2021, marking the seventh straight season that the team advanced to at least the final four of the conference tournament.


A dominant regular season and a near-sweep of the Horizon League awards highlighted the 2019 campaign. Phillips led the Flames to a 12-5-1 overall record, and a 6-2 mark in conference play to win the regular season championship. It was the fifth straight year that the Flames claimed a conference trophy. Phillips was named Coach of the Year, while Jesus Perez repeated as Player of the Year. Bar Hazut was named Offensive Player of the Year, Jacob Graiber became Defensive Player of the Year, and Roberto Alonzo won Freshman of the Year. It was the third time in program history, and one of four times in conference history, that a team won five of the six individual awards.


Perez became the program's sixth Division I All-American, and its third Major League Soccer SuperDraft selection. Hazut and Graiber made the All-Region Team. They and the rest of the squad placed the Flames in the nation's top five in shots and shots on goal per game, as well as goals and points per game. The team ended the season with an active 22-match home unbeaten streak.


Phillips and his squad brought home their third straight Horizon League Tournament title in 2018, defeating Wright State on the Raiders' home turf to claim the championship. He coached Jesus Perez - the national leader in assists - to the Horizon League Player of the Year award and first team All-Region status. Max Todd was the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Region selection for the second time. The team went undefeated at home, was among the national leaders in goals and assists, and played in the program's eighth NCAA Tournament - six of which have come during Phillips' tenure.


The Horizon League Tournament threepeat, combined with the team's regular season title in 2015, made the senior class of 2018 the first in program history to earn four trophies in four years.


Phillips led the Flames to their second straight Horizon League Tournament championship in 2017, which capped one of the best runs in program history. Though the team lost five of its first seven games, Phillips engineered a dramatic turnaround. Over the last dozen games of the season, including the conference tournament, UIC went 10-0-2 and finished with a Horizon League record of 6-2-1. The 12-game unbeaten streak tied the program record for most games without a loss. Jesus Perez and Joel Leon were All-Horizon League First Team honorees.


In 2016, Phillips led the Flames back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008 by virtue of the program's fourth Horizon League Tournament championship. He turned the season around after a 1-5-1 start to finish 9-8-3 and 5-3-1 in conference play. Under Phillips' direction, Andrew Putna won Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year, and three Flames (Putna, Jose Fuentes, and Max Todd) were named to the All-Horizon League First Team. Following the season, Putna was selected by Real Salt Lake in the MLS SuperDraft.


The Flames claimed the regular season championship in 2015 after the team produced a near undefeated record of 6-1-2 in conference play, marking just the sixth one-loss season in program history. Phillips earned his second Horizon League Coach of the Year distinction while coaching Player of the Year Manny Chavez and Co-Offensive Player of the Year Jorge Alvarez.


UIC had one of its most successful seasons in 2013 when it concluded with a 16-4-0 record after winning 16 of its last 18 games and producing a 10-match win streak into the postseason. While making an appearance in the national rankings at No. 23 on Nov. 12, the Flames ended the regular season at 15-3-0, setting a program record for most wins during the regular season, and 7-0-0 in the Horizon League, marking the most conference wins in program history and the first time UIC had won every League match. The feat allowed the Flames to clinch the Horizon League regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2008. Phillips capped off the season by being named Horizon League Coach of the Year alongside Player of the Year Bob Novak, Defensive Player of the Year Josh Beard and Freshman and Goalkeeper of the Year Andrew Putna.


During Phillips' tenure as head coach, UIC has won three United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Awards (2013, 2014, 2016). Four Flames have earned Scholar All-Region honors, and two have been named Scholar All-American. UIC has placed six on the Academic All-Horizon League Team, and boasts over 50 Horizon League Honor Roll members. In 2019, the team posted a 92% NCAA Graduation Success Rate, the highest figure among all UIC men's teams.


Prior to taking over the head coaching reins in 2010, Phillips served as the top assistant coach of the Flames since 2005. During his tenure, UIC advanced to three straight NCAA tournaments between 2006-2008, including back-to-back Sweet 16 runs and an unprecedented trip to the Elite Eight in 2007. The Flames also achieved their greatest national rankings during Phillips' UIC career, including a school-best No. 4 ranking in 2008. Two key contributors to that 2008 squad went on to play professionally. Baggio Husidic signed an MLS contract as a Generation adidas player, and Pat McMahon played for Rochester, Cincinnati, and Louisville in USL Pro.


In 2005, UIC enjoyed the sixth-biggest turnaround in the nation, capitalizing on a rebuilding project that began in the spring of 2005 when Phillips arrived with a new staff as the top assistant. Phillips coordinated countless facets of the program, including recruiting, game strategy, training, scheduling and academics.


Phillips began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Indiana University, in 2000. He helped the Hoosiers advance to three College Cups while on staff, winning a national championship in 2004 before heading to UIC. The Indiana Hoosiers also made a pair of trips to the College Cup during his playing career from 1991-94.


In addition to his work at UIC, Phillips is very active in the soccer community, serving as a clinician for "America Scores Chicago," a soccer league with the purpose of providing boys and girls with an alternative to spending after-school time on the streets, and Urban Initiatives, a nonprofit for kids in the Chicago Public Schools that runs health, education and character development programming. His players are also active in the organizations, serving as coaches, clinicians and role models.


Phillips graduated with a bachelor's degree in Public Policy from Indiana in 1994, and earned his Master's in Sport Management from IU in 2002.


Phillips holds numerous coaching licenses, including an NSCAA Premier Diploma with Distinction, an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma with Distinction, and an NSCAA Goalkeeper Level III Diploma. Phillips additionally holds a US Soccer B license and is a match evaluator for Major League Soccer.


Phillips, his wife Allison, and their two sons currently reside in the West Bucktown neighborhood.

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Aleksey Korol

Former Indiana University All-American and Major League Soccer standout Aleksey Korol is in his second stint on the UIC men's soccer coaching staff. Korol was elevated to associate head coach in January 2016.


Korol rejoined the Flames as the top assistant coach prior to the 2010 campaign after spending a year as an assistant at Indiana. Korol has helped UIC capture the Horizon League regular season title three times since 2013, and the tournament championship in 2016, 2017, and 2018 to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The program additionally set a slew of records in 2013, including winningest regular season (15-3-0) and first perfect conference record (7-0-0).


Korol served as the second assistant coach at UIC in his first stint at the school from 2006-2008, helping the Flames advance to the NCAA tournament each year. While Korol was on the Flames' staff, UIC compiled a record of 38-13-17 and made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Sweet 16, including an unprecedented Elite Eight run in 2007.


Along with the 2009 Round of 16 appearance with Indiana, Korol has been on the staff of three consecutive Sweet 16 sides.


In his first stint with the Flames, Korol was charged with the development of UIC's attacking players, and his tutelage was evident each season.


In 2008, UIC featured one of the nation's best offensive players in Baggio Husidic, who grew into a play-making force while Korol was on staff during his entire three-year college career. Husidic posted 24 points, including nine goals, en route to NSCAA/adidas First Team All-American honors. He was also named Horizon League Player of the Year, Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Horizon League First Team pick.


UIC had four players scored five or more goals and three with five or more assists as the Flames won the league regular season title and advanced to the Round of 16 in 2008.


2007 was a season to remember for the Flames, and Korol assisted in making that campaign historic. The Flames won the league tournament title and eliminated three ranked teams on the road to finish one match shy of a berth to the NCAA College Cup. Leading the charge was All-American Pavle Dundjer and league tournament MVP Cesar Zambrano, both offensive standouts under Korol's watch.


Led by All-American striker Tonci Skroce, the Flames entered the national soccer scene during Korol's first season in 2006 by catapulting up the national rankings and capturing the league regular season title for the first trip to the NCAA tournament in six seasons. UIC advanced to the Round of 32 and set the stage for the Flames' rise as an NCAA soccer power.


Korol concluded his collegiate career at Indiana in 1999 as the leading point scorer in NCAA Tournament history and the fourth-highest point scorer in the illustrious history of IU soccer.


A 1999 All-American and Soccer America's Player of the Year that season, Korol scored 57 goals and assisted on 35 others for a career point total of 149, the fourth-most in Indiana history.


During his All-American season in 1999 he scored a career-high 20 goals and posted 10 assists to become the first IU player in a decade to score 50 points, garnering All-Region and Big Ten Player of the Year honors along the way.


At Indiana Korol made three College Cup appearances with the Hoosiers, guiding IU to back-to-back National Championships as a junior and senior.


Korol posted 29 points on 12 goals and five helpers in 17 NCAA postseason matches from 1996 through 1999, good for the most points in NCAA Tournament history.


He was an All-Big Ten selection in each of his four seasons, winning Big Ten Championships every year he was at Indiana.


Drafted by Dallas with the fifth pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft, Korol played two seasons for the Burn, playing in 36 matches and scoring seven goals, and appeared in one game for the Chicago Fire before injury hampered his MLS career. He played in the United Soccer League in 2003 and 2004 before moving to the coaching ranks.


Korol has extensive experience coaching in the youth ranks. His experiences in youth coaching range from starting youth academy programs in New York and Indiana as well as training competitive youth travel teams. Korol has also worked the UIC Soccer Camps.


Korol lives with his significant other Brandi and their children Brixton and Amalia.

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Minos Vlamakis

Minos Vlamakis, one of the Chicago's most successful and well-respected young coaches, has been a member of the UIC Men's Soccer coaching staff since 2007, and a full-time assistant coach since 2010. He was elevated to Associate Head Coach in December 2017.


Vlamakis has played a huge role with the Flames since 2007, serving on the staff that directed back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 runs and an unprecedented Elite Eight run in the 2007 NCAA Tournament as well helping the team earn Horizon League Championships in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Vlamakis played a key part in the team's preparation throughout each season, and most recently his role has been centered on recruiting, training and video analysis of UIC and their opponents.


Vlamakis brings a wide array of award-winning experience that he has accomplished since 2004 and is the first coach in US Soccer history to win National Coach of the Year at the Adult (2007) and Youth (2013) levels. In the build-up towards those national accolades, Vlamakis was also named Illinois and Midwest Coach of the Year in 2007 (Adult) and 2013 (Youth).


His most recent endeavor includes serving as a staff coach for the Chicago Fire Academy since 2014 and helping their U18s win the USSDA U18 National Championship in July 2015. Working under the guidance of Academy Director and head coach Larry Sunderland, Vlamakis helped the U18s win the Mid-America Championship as well as clinching 1st place in their group during the 2015 USSDA U18 Playoffs. The team went on to defeat the Houston Dynamo in the quarterfinals before defeating the Montreal Impact in the semifinals en route to clinching their first-ever USSDA National Championship at the U18 age group when they defeated Real Salt Lake in the final. Every player who was in their last year of the Academy went on to play collegiate soccer, while one player signed a professional contract with the Chicago Fire’s first team.


Prior to joining the Chicago Fire Academy, Vlamakis was the head coach of Raiders FC U17/18 Premier, one of the most successful youth teams in recent history. In his first season with the team (2011-2012), he led the Raiders to a 2nd place finish in the prestigious USYS National League while also finishing as runners-up in the IYSA State Cup. The team went on to win the Midwest Regional League as well as the USYS Region II Championship, earning a place at the 2012 USYS National Championships, where they finished 2nd in the country.


The 2012-2013 season with Raiders FC was even more successful as the team would go on to win the USYS National League and IYSA State Cup as well as dominating their local NISL Premiership, capturing 1st place in the U19 Division. The Raiders would go on to reach the USYS Region II Semifinals and were the only team to win every group match at the 2013 USYS National Championships before narrowly losing in the National Championship match in penalty kicks. After just two seasons with Raiders FC, Vlamakis captured League, State, Regional and National League trophies while helping 26 players move on to play at the collegiate level. Vlamakis was rewarded for his work with Raiders FC when he was named the 2013 Illinois Youth Soccer Coach of the Year and 2013 US Youth Soccer Midwest Region Coach of the Year as well as the 2013 US Youth Soccer National Coach of the Year.


Prior to signing with Raiders FC, Vlamakis built the highly-successful Chicago United High School Academy from the ground up in his first youth coaching position. In just three years, CUFC's high school program grew from one team to eight teams and was the largest and most successful high school program the city has ever seen. Upon leaving in July 2011, Vlamakis had won numerous NISL League Championships while also capturing one State Championship and one Regional Championship, and over 20 players that he worked with from 2009-2011 went on to play soccer at the collegiate level.


Before entering the world of youth soccer, Vlamakis had already established himself as one of the most successful amateur coaches in the United States, as he was named the 2006/07 Midwest Region II Coach of the Year and the 2006/07 USASA National Coach of the Year. In April 2006, Vlamakis was named the head coach of RWB Adria of the prestigious National Soccer League based out of Chicago, Illinois. In three seasons with the Croatian club, Vlamakis won three NSL Championships, three Illinois State Cups, two Illinois Open Cups, one Illinois Amateur Cup and two Midwest Open Cups, guiding the club to the 2007 and 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the United States. Adria were named Illinois Team of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and Vlamakis was named NSL and Illinois Coach of the Year during those dates as well.


While coaching at RWB Adria, Vlamakis was also the head coach of the Illinois State Select Team, lifting that squad and the Illinois State Soccer Association to unprecedented heights. After working with the late Samir Youkhanna and helping Winged Bull win the 2004 USASA National Amateur Championship, the two signed on to coach the Illinois State Select Team. Vlamakis coached the squad to Regional Championships in 2004 and 2005 before taking over full-time and guiding the team to their third and fourth Regional Championships in a row in 2006 and 2007, as well as winning the coveted George F. Donnelly Cup (USASA National Select Team National Championship) in 2007 and 2008. Those trophies were the first in the ISSA's 90+ year history.


Before joining UIC in 2007, Vlamakis spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons as an Assistant Coach at Oakton College, one of the top NJCAA teams in the Midwest. The Oakton Raiders reached the Regional Semifinals in both of his seasons there while eight players were named to the All-Conference team and two players were named NSCAA All-Americans.


Vlamakis, a native of Elmwood Park, graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2004 and currently resides in Chicago with his wife Noreen.

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