Athletes - Peter Vermes

Home > Listing Index > Athletes > Peter Vermes

	Athletes - Peter Vermes

Peter Joseph Vermes (born January 21, 1966 in Willingboro, New Jersey) is an American soccer player, who played for the US national team in the as a forward and later became one of the best defenders in Major League Soccer.

Vermes played three years of college soccer at Rutgers University, from 1985 to 1987, where he elevated the status of the program to that of a national power. In his final season, Vermes scored 21 goals and 10 assists for the team, finishing a first team All-American, as well as runner-up for the National Player of the Year Award. During that season, Vermes led Rutgers to their first victory in the NCAA Tournament in 26 years, scoring the winning goal in a contest against Seton Hall University. After graduating, Vermes would go to Europe, where he played with Raba Eto of Hungary in 1989, FC Volendam of the Dutch Eredivisie in 1990, and Figueras of the Spanish second division from 1991-1995.

Like many of the best American players, Vermes returned to the United States to join the recently founded MLS. Vermes was drafted by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in the third round of the MLS Inaugural Draft and captained the team in its first season. Although he played the most minutes of any MetroStar that year, Vermes was traded in the offseason to the Colorado Rapids for Kerry Zavagnin. Vermes would play three years for the Rapids before being traded again, this time to the Kansas City Wizards with Matt McKeon for Scott Vermillion and a player allocation.

With the Wizards, Vermes had his best year in MLS in 2000, anchoring what may have been the best defense in MLS history. That Wizards team finished the season first in the league with a 16-7-9 record, having allowed only 29 goals in 32 games, and continued its defensive dominance in the playoffs, eventually winning the MLS Cup. Vermes was recognized as the MLS Defender of the Year, while his teammate Tony Meola won both the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS MVP awards. Vermes played two more seasons with the Wizards, struggling with injuries but playing every game he was healthy for, before announcing his retirement at the end of the 2002 season.

Vermes was never a star for the US national team, but he was a significant contributor for an extended period of time. Vermes received his first cap May 14, 1988 against Colombia, and would in all receive 72 caps for the team, playing in the 1988 Olympics, the 1990 World Cup, and the 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup. A forward early in his career, his excellent performance in defense in MLS lead to his comeback to the National team in that position after years of absence. Vermes was also named the 1988 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year.

After retiring, Vermes worked as a broadcaster for the San Jose Earthquakes. He currently serves as the technical Direcotr of Coaching for the Blue Valley Soccer Club, located in Overland Park, Kansas and as an assistant coach for the US Under-20 national team.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Peter Vermes ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Peter Vermes; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay