KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Peter Vermes was named Technical Director for the Kansas City Wizards today, another key move in the reorganization structure of the club. Vermes will oversee the soccer operations for the Wizards including the active roster and youth and reserve teams. He will also help administer the coaching staff and subsequent search as well as be responsible for the training staff, scouting, team administrators and equipment manager.
"I have been entrenched in soccer for my entire life and in many capacities and I am both honored and excited to be named the technical director," Vermes said. "There is a lot of work to be done, but we are all up to the challenge. First and foremost I will do everything in my abilities to take this team back to a championship level, but also bring back a renewed sense of pride and professionalism. To have the opportunity to help put a stamp on an organization and to stay in Kansas City is more than I could have possibly wished for, but now my competitiveness and work ethic will take over."
Vermes, who will turn 40 on November 21, announced his retirement from playing Major League Soccer over three years ago. His career spanned from Rutgers University, to becoming a mainstay on the U.S. National Team, to participating in the Olympics, to being the first American ever to play in Hungary's First Division and Holland's First Division, to capping his career by playing for three MLS teams, including the Kansas City Wizards for three seasons (2000-2002). Vermes' versatility, durability and winning mentality helped shape soccer in this country, both on the international and domestic level throughout his 15-year professional career.
After his retirement on March 13, 2003, Vermes was quoted as saying, "The long-term investment I put in on the field as a student of the game has and will be beneficial. I want to give back and be involved in soccer for the rest of my life. I vow to continue to help the progress of soccer, the best sport in the world."
Vermes, who is from Delran, New Jersey, currently resides in Overland Park, Kansas. He has served as the Blue Valley Soccer Club's Technical Director since 2003. Today the Blue Valley Soccer Club is one of the largest clubs in the Midwest region of the United States, supporting soccer programming for over 5,400 youth players. Vermes will still remain on staff as a consultant.
Vermes was named to the High School All-American Team and Player of the Year in New Jersey. He later became a star forward at Rutgers University. As a Scarlet Knight, he helped lead the resurgence of the program to the elite status in college soccer. He was a 1987 First-Team All-American and runner-up for the National Player of the Year Award. In 1987, he turned in a 21 goal, 10 assist season which ranks as the 3rd most prolific year in RU history. That year, he also set the school record with 10 game-winning goals.
He led Rutgers to the East Region Finals in 1987. RU's victory over Seton Hall in the first round of the 1987 tournament with the first NCAA Tournament victory for the school in 26 years. In that game, he scored the winning goal. One of the all-time great athletes in Rutgers sports history, Vermes was formally inducted into the Rutgers Olympic Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
After college, Vermes played for the United States at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, where he was named U.S. Olympic Player of the Year for the Summer Games. He also starred for the bronze-medal winning U.S. team at the World Five-a-Side Tournament in Holland in 1989, where he was the tournaments leading scorer with six goals.
During this same period, Vermes was an integral cog in the growth of the U.S. National Team, where he was the 1988 Chevrolet U.S. Male Soccer Athlete of the Year. His leadership and mentality helped lead a young squad to an improbable qualification in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the first trip in 40 years. The United States has qualified for every World Cup since. During the tournament, Vermes, who started every game, narrowly missed scoring a goal versus the home Italians (in a 1-0 loss) when he took a shot that goalkeeper Walter Zenga had to make an amazing save to barely stop. Overall, he earned 67 caps in eight years as a forward, scoring 11 goals and tallying three assists all-time. He was also the last player omitted from the 1998 World Cup team after playing well in the qualifying round. Currently all-time, Vermes ranks #10 in goals (11), #20 in career starts (59) and is #13 in points with 25 in U.S. National Team History.
After the World Cup, Vermes became the first American ever to play in Hungary's (Raba Eto) and Holland's (F.C. Volendam) First Division. He later joined Figueras of the Spanish Second Division.
Vermes was a founding member of Major League Soccer, where he further established himself as resilient and an all-around player. Overall, he played for three different teams in seven years, played every position on the field except goalkeeper, made the playoffs each year, won several awards and set numerous records.
He was the 29th overall pick in the 1996 Inaugural MLS Draft by the MetroStars, where he captained the team in the first season. Vermes' grit was personified in the playoffs when, playing with a badly bruised shin, he scored the decisive shootout goal in the MetroStars Game 1 victory over eventual champs D.C. United.
He was traded to the Colorado Rapids in 1997 and put up the best offensive numbers in his MLS career, posting 16 points (six goals, four assists) and scoring two goals in the final minute of play, one game-winner and one that forced a shootout in what still stands as the latest goal in league history (two seconds left). After playing the entire 1996 season as a forward and 1997 season as a midfielder, he entered the '97 playoffs as the central defender. He was the primary reason the Rapids made a miraculous run to the MLS Cup Finals, eventually losing to D.C. United 2-1. Colorado only allowed four goals in five post-season games.
After a strong 1998 and 1999 campaign in Colorado (missing just one game in '98 and playing every minute in '99), he was traded to the Kansas City Wizards on February 3, 2000. Vermes immediately stepped in, after reuniting with 1990 U.S. National Team coach Bob Gansler, and enjoyed his greatest team and personal success in MLS. He anchored a defense in a 3-5-2 system flanked by two young defenders, Nick Garcia and Brandon Prideaux, and goalkeeper Tony Meola. The Wizards allowed just 29 goals in 32 regular season games, posting a Major League Soccer record 17 shutouts, including eight straight at home and amassing an amazing streak of not letting in a goal for 681 straight minutes. Vermes, who played every minute in 2000, helped Kansas City capture the Supporters Shield for best record in the regular season.
The Wizards continued its run through the playoffs, culminating with a fantastic 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire in MLS Cup 2000. Kansas City allowed just four goals in seven post-season games, including a record five shutouts. The team won the championship with a stellar defense, strong leadership and team camaraderie: all Peter Vermes' forte. He was named BIC 2000 Defender of the Year, to the MLS Best 11 team and a member of the All-Star squad as reward for his spectacular season.
Vermes appeared in 33 games over the 2001-2002 seasons, starting all three playoff games in both years and tallying an assist in both series'. Vermes was renowned for his training methods and diet. His fitness is a testament to his laurels, something instilled on countless other players who have been around him. He prides himself on a specific regimen of running, weights and balanced carbohydrate plan. Vermes never took an off-season throughout his career, something he hopes to instill in the players today.
"There will be a different mentality in the locker room and we will from this point forward be viewed differently by other teams around the league," Vermes said. "Our primary objective is to make this not only the model franchise in Major League Soccer, but also in the United States. Anyone who does not believe this can be done probably would not fit into the equation. Is this a one year, three year, or five year plan? We don't know yet, but I can tell you that we will be moving forward every minute we are on the field, working out, or meeting. The key ingredient is to provide a first-class operation for the players, take care of them on and off the field, and communication. With the new ownership group, there is no reason this can't be achieved."
Peter Vermes, who is extremely valuable in the community working for multiple charities including the Leukemia Foundation, has two children (Nicole, 13, and Kyle, 12) with his wife Susan. He also has a beautiful soccer park named after him in New Jersey. Vermes has been a true pioneer for soccer for many years and his success has been abundant on every level. He made his mark on the field as a forward and defender, helped the U.S. National Team and Major League Soccer thrive, won a domestic title, played in a World Cup and in the Olympics and much more. His goal now is to oversee a team who will have a possible change in staffing, some players and home venue, which is all coinciding just at the right time.
"We are confident that Peter (Vermes) is a perfect fit for this position," Wizards Interim President Robb Heineman said. "All of the changes in the coming months provide a great chance to make our own mark in soccer and the Kansas City community. We embrace the challenges ahead and trust that PV and the rest of the staff will do everything in their capabilities to not just succeed, but to reach heights never seen before."
