Peter Philipakos

Peter Philipakos

Personal information
Full name	Peter Philipakos
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Attacking Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Ethnikos Piraeus
Number	7

Peter Philipakos (Greek: Πέτρος Φιλιππάκος; born January 21, 1983) is a Greek-American football (soccer) midfielder who currently plays for Piraeus, Greece-based club Ethnikos Piraeus of B' Ethniki, the Greek second division.

Amateur career

Youth Soccer

Born in the United States, Peter Philipakos played his youth club soccer for nationally-ranked Hewlett NOGA / Hewlett Blue Streak of Hewlett-Lawrence Soccer Club, in Five Towns, New York on Long Island, and was a U.S. Youth Soccer Region I and Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) Olympic Development Program (ODP) player .

College Soccer

After graduating from Glen Cove High School, in Glen Cove, New York on Long Island, Peter matriculated to St. John's University in 2001. In his freshman year, Philipakos made 18 starts and 23 total appearances , playing as a left-sided attacking-midfield player, and helped St. John’s win the 2001 Big East Conference Championship and advance as far as the 2001 NCAA Men’s College Cup Final Four. After the 2001 season he transferred from St. John’s to American University. Philipakos spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons with American, appearing in a total of 37 matches, playing as an outside-midfielder and second-striker, scoring 12 goals and adding 7 assists .

Professional career

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AEK Athens FC

In late-December 2003, after completing his junior season with American University, Philipakos went on trial with historic Athens, Greece-based club AEK Athens FC of A' Ethniki (now called the Greek Super League). Philipakos impressed AEK’s legendary Serbian manager Dušan Bajević during the trial period and ultimately signed a 3.5-year professional contract with the club on January 9, 2004. The Greek-American player would be ineligible to appear in competitive matches for the club for what was left of the 2003/04 season though, as at the time of the signing AEK already had the maximum-allowed number of foreign-born (non-European Union) players on its roster, and Philipakos’ Greek citizenship papers could not be processed in time for the club to register him as a Greek player, which meant he could only train with the first team until the start of the 2004/05 season. Philipakos would never get to play a competitive match in an AEK shirt though - by the end of the 2003/04 season AEK was in serious danger of falling into bankruptcy , and Philipakos would ultimately be among a host of players who would have to leave the club as a result.

Olympiacos

By the time AEK’s financial problems really came to the surface, Bajević had already resigned from the club, and in July 2004 he controversially signed up for his second stint in charge of Olympiacos, AEK’s Piraeus-based A' Ethniki rivals. When Philipakos became free from AEK, Bajević called on the young Greek-American once again. Philipakos signed a 5-year contract (with club options after the first and third years) with Olympiacos, Greece’s most successful club, on July 31, 2004.

Philipakos immediately made a very significant impression on his new club with his performances during Olympiacos’ preseason tours of Spain and Cyprus, but just shy of the start of the 2004/05 season he suffered an inguinal hernia on his left side that would require surgery and force him to miss the first half of the season. After recovering and returning to normal training in December, Philipakos made his competitive debut for Olympiacos on January 19, 2005 in the Greek Cup against Iraklis at Kaftanzoglio Stadium. Philipakos made his league debut – and first start - on February 27, 2005 against Chalkidona (now called Atromitos) at Olympiacos’ Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium and he made his European debut on March 16, 2005 in the UEFA Cup Round of 16 against Newcastle United at St James' Park. The Greek media continually compared Philipakos to former Olympiacos star winger Stelios Giannakopoulos . Olympiacos would go on to become A' Ethniki champions and Greek Cup winners in the 2004/05 season, with Philipakos making a total of 6 appearances (2 starts) in all competitions, playing primarily as a right-sided midfielder. At the end of the season, Olympiacos renewed Philipakos’ contract for the next 2 years.

Philipakos would suffer a blow though when Bajević resigned from Olympiacos in June 2005. In July 2005 Olympiacos replaced Bajević with Norwegian manager Trond Sollied. Right from preseason, Sollied and Philipakos experienced a tumultuous relationship, and when Sollied brought in Nigerian Haruna Babangida to play Philipakos’ favored right-sided attacking position, Philipakos was of little use to the new manager. In early-September 2005, Peter impetuously requested to leave the club , at which point he was made to train on the side at Olympiacos’ Renti training complex until a resolution could be found . On October 31, 2005, Philipakos was officially released from Olympiacos .

Philipakos is the only Greek-American to have ever played in a league match for Greek giants Olympiacos.

Aris FC

On January 25, 2006, Philipakos signed a 6-month contract with Aris, a Thessaloniki, Greece-based club with a cult following, to play out the rest of the 2005/06 season. That season Aris was playing in B' Ethniki for the just the second time in the club’s long history, and manager Nikos Anastopoulos – a former Olympiacos star player – called on Philipakos and defender Efthimios Kouloucheris - who like Philipakos had also been recently released by Olympiacos - during the winter transfer period to help the club make an immediate return to A' Ethniki. Philipakos made a total of 6 appearances for Aris – all as a substitute – in between missing time due to two separate, minor injuries . His career in Thessaloniki would end abruptly and controversially though. On April 16, 2006, Aris took on Ethnikos Asteras at Aris’ Kleanthis Vikelides Stadium – the second-to-last match of the campaign, and a match crucial to the team’s promotion hopes. Aris dominated the match but could not convert any of their chances to score, and the match ended 0-0. Philipakos – who entered the match at half-time – ripped his shirt out of frustration with the result as he walked to the changing room after the match. Aris fans - already riled up from their own frustration with the poor result - became outraged that he would do such a thing to the Aris shirt, the revered symbol of the club, and vehemently cursed him after the match. Philipakos apologized to the fans, and explained his act was simply a product of frustration and was not a sign of a lack of respect or affection for the club, but he would not be forgiven. Less than a week later Philipakos and Aris agreed to terminate his contract early. Aris would go on to win the last match of the season and earn promotion back to A' Ethniki.

Ethnikos Piraeus (first stint)

On July 26, 2006 Philipakos signed a 2-year contract with another B' Ethniki club, Piraeus-based club Ethnikos Piraeus. Ethnikos had one of the stronger teams in Greek football for decades, but after being relegated from A' Ethniki for the first time in their history in 1990, the club bounced between A' and B' Ethniki for a few seasons and then never made it back to the top flight after the 1998/99 season, largely due to financial difficulties. Having come within one step of long-awaited return to A' Ethniki, ambitious Ethnikos signed up former Olympiacos and FC Barcelona star Giovanni and former AEK and Sevilla FC star Vassilis Tsiartas to lead the team in the 2006/07 season. The Ethnikos project looked good on paper, but Philipakos’ experience with the club would be a nightmare. Shortly after Philipakos signed, President Nikos Pirounias agreed to sell a controlling interest in the club to a group of new investors fronted by Cypriot businessman Fivos Moridis. From the time of Moridis’ arrival, Philipakos was unpaid and relegated to the bench. He would not be alone in his problems under the new ownership – superstars Giovanni and Tsiartas and nearly a dozen other players would all leave the club by Christmas. In January 2007 Philipakos took legal action against the club for his unpaid wages, but as the matter dragged on he ultimately decided to drop the case so that he could latch on somewhere else. Philipakos officially cut ties with Ethnikos in February 2007 , but because the release came after the close of the winter transfer period, he was unable to be registered by a European club for the remainder of the 2006/07 season. Philipakos made only 3 appearances for Ethnikos in the 2006/07 season.

Red Bull New York

In February 2007, upon securing his official release from Ethnikos, Philipakos returned to his native New York, and then was off to Bradenton, Florida where Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer had already begun preseason training. Philipakos underwent a 2-week trial with Red Bull New York, but he entered the trial very unfit and did not show well. On February 28, 2007, the club announced they would not sign Philipakos to a contract.

Bruce Arena, then sporting director and head coach of Red Bull New York, said of Philipakos’ trial, “I don't think he showed too well. He was pretty unfit and we just didn't have the time for him. He obviously is a player who has some potential there. We are not able to wait four to six weeks.”

FK SIAD Most

After his Red Bull New York trial, Philipakos spent the next month working to return to a high fitness level, and then in April 2007 went on trial with FK SIAD Most of the Czech first division, the Gambrinus Liga. Philipakos impressed manager Zdeněk Ščasný (who also had passed through Greece, coaching Panathinaikos and OFI Crete) during the trial period, and he signed a 2-year contract (1 year with a club option) with the club on May 9, 2007 .

In a friendly match against SK Slovan Varnsdorf just prior to the start of the 2007/08 season Philipakos suffered an athletic pubalgia (more commonly referred to as a “sports hernia”) on his right side and concomitantly tore his adductor longus muscle on the same side. Doctors in the Czech Republic did not detect the sports hernia though. Once the adductor healed, Philipakos made his Gambrinus Liga debut against Mladá Boleslav on September 16, 2007. As the sports hernia was never corrected though, Philipakos still struggled thereafter. After several more misdiagnoses in the Czech Republic, a trip to Germany ultimately revealed that Philipakos had a sports hernia, and in November 2007 Philipakos had the problem surgically repaired at the Hernienzentrum clinic in Munich, Germany by world-renowned hernia operation specialist Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck.

Philipakos recovered and returned to normal training just prior to the beginning of the league’s winter break. By that time, Most was in last place in the league and poised for relegation. In anticipation of the drop, Most began a clear out of the squad during the winter break - top scorer Goce Toleski was sold to Slavia Prague, Canadian international Andrew Hainault was loaned to Sparta Prague, and the club offered to just work out a release with several other players, including Philipakos. Philipakos, unhappy with life in the Czech Republic, decided to agree to a release in January 2008. At the end of the season Most was relegated to the Druhá Liga, the Czech second division.

Ethnikos Piraeus (second stint)

While Philipakos was in the Czech Republic, Nikos Pirounias took back control of Ethnikos. In February 2008, Pirounias, upon learning that Philipakos had dissolved his contract in the Czech Republic the previous month, called on the Greek-American to return to Ethnikos. Though he was unable to be registered to play in league matches for the remainder of the 2007/08 season since the transfer period had already closed, Philipakos rejoined the team in training and at the end of the season singed a new contract with the club .

International career

On March 18, 2005 Philipakos was called by the Greek Under-21 National Team for UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Georgia and Albania . Philipakos declined the invitation, citing a desire to focus on Olympiacos duties, while also adding he was not ready to close the door on the prospect of one day representing the United States .

Honors

Olympiacos

• A' Ethniki (now called Greek Super League): 2004/2005
• Greek Cup: 2004/2005

External links

• Articles on Yanks Abroad