Peter Vermes parts ways with Sporting Kansas City after 16 years

In Kansas City, Missouri, longtime manager Peter Vermes has officially parted ways with Sporting Kansas City, as announced by the Major League Soccer (MLS) club. This decision follows a mutual agreement reached between Vermes and the club after nearly two decades of service. During his tenure, Vermes served as the technical director starting in 2006 and later became head coach in 2009. He holds the distinction of being third on the all-time MLS list with 203 regular-season wins and is the only individual to have won the MLS Cup both as a player and coach with the same team. Vermes guided the club to 11 playoff appearances along with four first-place finishes in the regular season and led them to several U.S. Open Cup titles in 2012, 2015, and 2017. However, the team struggled recently, failing to secure a win since mid-September of the previous season, culminating in a disappointing 8-19-7 record. The club's recent performance, including a fifth loss in six games of the ongoing 2025 season, ultimately resulted in Vermes's dismissal, as fans expressed dissatisfaction with outdated tactics and club performance. Following the announcement, Kerry Zavagnin was appointed as interim head coach. As Vermes departs, it's noteworthy that recent structural changes in MLS, including the introduction of Targeted Allocation Money and General Allocation Money, have made it increasingly challenging for managers like Vermes, who manage both coaching and general manager roles. This dual role had come under scrutiny, especially after the hiring of a sporting director in mid-2024, suggesting that the club's failure could have originated more from personnel issues rather than Vermes's coaching strategies.