Staff
Our Team
The coaches and staff at DC Way Academy are more than instructors—they're mentors, role models, and passionate advocates for youth soccer. Each member of our team brings deep soccer knowledge, coaching expertise, and a genuine commitment to developing confident, skilled, and well-rounded young people.
We hire coaches based on more than just their resume. We look for honesty, fairness, a love for the game, and a passion for teaching. Every coach on our staff shares our core values: putting players first, promoting good sportsmanship, and building a supportive community both on and off the field.
Meet the people who make DC Way Academy special.
Our Coaches
CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Travel Coach
JUAN CORTES
Travel Coach
DANIEL VALLE
Travel Coach
MATHEUS FERNANDES
Travel Coach
CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Travel Coach
MARCO CHAVES
Travel Coach
LUKAS BARBERI
Travel Coach
RUSS GULIYEV
Travel Coach
ALY ISMAIL
Travel Coach
BRIAN TABULOV
Travel Coach
SPENCER PAIK
Travel and Goalkeeping Coach
ALEX SAVOV
Travel Coach
ALVARO DOS SANTOS
Travel Coach
Get To Know Our Coaches
Behind the Scenes
DENIS CHEKURISTOV
Director of Coaching
Denis comes from a long tradition of soccer. His father, a professional player, started teaching Denis soccer as soon as he could walk. Coming from a tradition of education, he was also raised by a mother who has worked at a school for over 25 years. Later in life, Denis went through the Volgar Gazprom FC youth academy system and played successfully on the collegiate level. He became one of the first people to play futsal in his city Astrakhan, Russia.
Overall, he holds a National Soccer Coaching License for the ages 8-12 years old and a Coerver Coaching Youth Diploma. He believes that a focus on continuous self-development is key to better helping players and keep up with the latest changes in soccer. Therefore, he regularly attends seminars to improve his coaching skills. Last but not least, Denis was VOTED the Best Sports Coach for the years 2016 and 2017 by the Washington City Paper!
ROMAN KILISHEK
Director of Operations
Roman fell in love with a game of soccer when he was a child and he believes it played a huge role in his life. Roman holds an MBA degree from George Mason University and brings with him extensive experience in finance and project management. His skills help DC Way be successful and have all day-to-day operations under control.
MELIS BAYRAKTAROGLU
Marketing Manager
Melis graduated from The George Washington University School of Business with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration concentrating in Marketing and a minor in Organizational Sciences. Growing up in Turkey, she has always been focused on tennis and competed in professional tournaments until joining the varsity tennis team at GW. Melis also volunteers in her free time to help reduce chronic homelessness and participates in other activities to give back to the community. Her past experiences in the field of marketing allowed her to gain great organizational and leadership skills that lead her to excel at coordinating our programs and other aspects of DC Way.
ONUR SENOL
Digital Marketing Specialist
CELESTE BUSS
Academy Coordinator
Travel Coach
CARINA VITAL
Academy Girls Coordinator
Travel Coach
LEO GONZALEZ
Spanish Speaking Coordinator
Travel Coach
+1 (571) 490-1275
AMALIA PROPER
Travel Administrator