Sporting Kansas City announced Monday that they mutually agreed to part ways with Peter Vermes, marking the end of his impressive 20-year tenure as the longest-serving head coach in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Vermes’ final match in charge was a 2-1 defeat against FC Dallas, leaving SKC languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, with only one point from six games this season. Additionally, SKC was eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup in the first round earlier in the year after a 4-1 aggregate loss to Inter Miami.
“It would be difficult to enumerate everyone I want to thank after 20 seasons in various managerial roles at Sporting Kansas City,” Vermes commented in a statement. “I am grateful to all, particularly the ownership, for allowing me the chance to be a custodian of this club for two decades. I sincerely wish the club all the best moving forward.”
Having started as the club’s technical director in November 2006, Vermes became the head coach in August 2009, ushering in a transformative period for the team. Under his leadership, SKC won multiple honors, including the MLS Cup in 2013 and three U.S. Open Cup titles between 2012 and 2017.
After the team’s struggles in the last few seasons and a disappointing performance this year, Kerry Zavagnin, an assistant coach who has worked alongside Vermes throughout his tenure, has been appointed as the interim head coach.
The Impact of Vermes on SKC
Peter Vermes has been crucial to Sporting Kansas City’s success, coaching 609 games in total—making up over half of the club’s 30-year history. Over his 17 seasons as head coach, he is the longest-serving current head coach in MLS, successfully guiding SKC to eight playoff appearances starting from 2011, the year they rebranded.
Furthermore, Vermes achieved recognition not only in MLS but in the broader soccer landscape, having the third most games coached in MLS history with 511 regular-season matches and 251 wins as the head coach of SKC.
His extensive tenure and achievements position Vermes as a significant figure in the league, akin to legendary coaches in professional sports.
