Sporting KC announced they had parted ways with their longtime manager, Peter Joseph Vermes.
American professional soccer coach and former player Peter Joseph Vermes, 58, was born on November 21, 1966.
He was a staff coach for the U-20 National Team, served on the US Soccer Federation’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and chaired the Athlete Council.
On November 15, 2006, Peter was named the Kansas City Wizards’ technical director and became the head coach of Sporting Kansas City in 2009.
Sporting KC Fired Their Longtime Manager, Peter Joseph Vermes
On Monday, March 31, 2025, Sporting KC football club announced they had mutually parted ways with their longtime head coach and manager, Peter Joseph Vermes. They took to their official Twitter handle and wrote,
Sporting KC mutually agrees to part ways with Manager Peter Vermes.
Sporting KC
The decision was made less than 24 hours after fans issued a public statement on Sunday, March 30, 2025, calling for Peter’s resignation.
Sporting KC announced that Peter will be replaced by interim head coach and Sporting Legends Hall of Honor inductee Kerry Zavagnin after nearly two decades.
Following the dismissal, Peter Vermes thanked the club for the opportunity and wished them luck. He said,
“It would be hard to list all of the people I want to thank after 20 seasons in managerial positions at Sporting Kansas City,” “I am thankful to everyone, especially ownership for giving me the opportunity of being a steward of this club for the past two decades. I wish the club nothing but the best in the future.”
Peter Vermes
Vermes became head coach of Sporting KC in 2009. Since then, he has led the team to several successful seasons, including 11 playoff appearances and four first-place appearances in the regular season.
Additionally, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2013 and was named MLS Sporting Executive of the Year in 2019.
He also contributed significantly to the development of Children’s Mercy Park, Compass Minerals National Performance Center, and the selection of Kansas City as the host city for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Despite these past achievements, Sporting KC’s soccer club has struggled over the past seasons.
In 2024, they finished second to last in the Western Conference with an 8-19-7 record.
Since the beginning of the 2025 season, the club has been positioned last in the conference with a 0-5-1 record following a recent 2-1 loss to FC Dallas.
A statement from the KC Cauldron & South Stand Supporters Club pic.twitter.com/I2rHgCI0Gd
— The Cauldron (@KCCauldron) March 30, 2025
Following these frustrating seasons, fan groups, including KC Cauldron and the South Stand Supporters Club, made a public statement on social media and called for Peter’s resignation.
Now, former American soccer player Kerry Zavagnin will fill the role of interim head coach, and Sporting KC will face the St. Louis Sporting Club on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- During his tenure at Sporting KC, Peter Vermes reportedly earned an annual salary of around $750,000 and had a net worth of over $5 million.
- Peter Joseph Vermes met Susan Vermes in high school and later tied the knot in 1990. They share two children: Nicole and Kyle Vermes.
- He was born to his father, Michael, a professional footballer for Budapest Honved FC. His parents immigrated to the United States from Hungary as refugees during the 1956 revolution.
- Vermes was arrested for a suspected DUI on August 14, 2010, by police in Gardner, Kansas. He accepted one year of probation, and the charge was dropped.
