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McCarthy's Musings: Vermes Takes Charge In Kansas City
Kansas City named Peter Vermes as its new manager on Tuesday afternoon. Now that he has permanent control on and off the field, Vermes won't take long to implement changes and mold the team in his personality, according to Kyle McCarthy.
Nov 11, 2009 3:28:13 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
Make no mistake. Peter Vermes is in complete control in Kansas City.
The Wizards revealed their current technical director as their new manager in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon and Vermes wasted little time explaining how he would approach his permanent on-field role and combine it with his off-field player personnel duties.
“Going forward, it will be one way,” Vermes said. “Being a coach is not a democracy. It's a dictatorship. That's the pressure that you take and that's o.k. I'm willing to take on those decisions. I probably won't make all the right decisions, but I'll learn from them very quickly for sure.”
After compiling a 3-6-3 record in three months as interim coach once the Wizards parted company with Curt Onalfo on Aug. 3, Vermes decided to assume full control and responsibility for the situation on and off the field after a meeting with Wizards president Robb Heineman on Monday. In previous years, Vermes said he felt somewhat frustrated about his lack of influence over the on-field product. During his interim stint, Vermes said he started to implement his ideas by changing the mentality and improving the fitness of his team, but couldn't completely overhaul the base already in place.
Those changes will occur more rapidly in 2010 as Vermes espoused the need for work ethic, teamwork and fitness in the squad as the Wizards try to rebound from a disappointing 2009 campaign. Vermes discussed how he planned to send each of his players individualized workout plans for the offseason and preached how important it would be for everyone to buy into the workmanlike mentality he plans to develop within the squad.
“I'm not going to sit here and tell you that we're going to be unbelievable next year or that we're going to be the most successful team in the league,” Vermes said “That wasn't my style as a player and I don't think it's going to be my style as a coach. I do know that the work ethic, the time, the planning, the preparation and the execution will improve on a day-to-day basis. That's my focus and that's what I believe we're going to be about. The consistency will come over time for sure.”
Finding that consistency may take a bit of time as Vermes sorts through his personnel group during the winter. Changes will come prior to the 2010 season, Vermes promised, though he couldn't quantify how many would eventually arrive.
“Is the nucleus what it needs to be? No, it's not,” Vermes said. “We didn't do well in many different areas in this team this past year. At the same time, there was a change in our mentality and our culture over the past (three) months. That's a big part of a successful team.”
Some parts of the team will be sticking around next season. Incumbent assistant coaches John Pascarella, Zoran Savic (who served as an interim assistant once Vermes assumed interim control) and Kerry Zavagnin will remain with the side, though Vermes floated the idea of adding a new assistant or a scouting director to aid in player evaluation. No doubt more than a couple of the current members of the squad – many of whom were acquired by Vermes – will earn a spot as well.
All who stay will have to toe the new line quickly as Vermes transforms the Wizards into a side more in line with his approach to the game. The buck now stops completely with Vermes, presenting a challenge that the former U.S. international defender embraces wholeheartedly.
“I've given it a lot of thought and the one thing that always comes to mind is that at the end, if you really want to build something, sometimes, you have to be willing to take on the challenges and the risks of what is ahead of you,” Vermes said. “I'm willing to do that and I think this is the right organization to do that with.”
Around the League
- Wondering why the Musings isn't focusing on the playoffs this week? Thank the schedule makers for a reprieve. With the conference finals slated for Friday and Saturday, there's plenty of time to catch up on some of the news involving the 11 teams not currently involved in the playoffs.
- Chivas USA has decided not to exercise its option to bring Preki back for the 2010 season and will seek to hire former assistant coach Martin Vazquez as his replacement, according to a Goal.com report. The club denied the move in a statement, though the statement noted that “all players and coaches are under evaluation.” Expect those evaluations to end in Preki moving elsewhere. The scuttlebutt heavily favored Chicago as his new destination prior to the playoffs, but the Fire's playoff success may or may not force a rethink about the approach to the coaching situation out in Bridgeview after the campaign. Even though he may have worn out his welcome with the Red-and-White, Preki will certainly have plenty of options to explore as a head man in MLS should he choose to do so.
- FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty signed a new deal yesterday. The 22-year-old midfielder capped a topsy-turvy year with the new pact after starting the season on the trading block and finishing it as one of the driving forces in the Hoops' late-season surge. McCarty also earned a spot in the U.S. squad for the match against Slovakia on Saturday. All's well that ends well, apparently.
- Tensions flared between a couple of Colorado players and the Rapids coaching staff at a recent post-season training session, according to a MLSnet report. The Rapids are one of several teams that have kept players around for a period of time for end-of-season training sessions. The utility of asking players who may or may not be on the squad in the upcoming season to stick around to train during the playoffs escapes me, but the Collective Bargaining Agreement mandates only six weeks off, five of which must be consecutive. The CBA provisions don't require common sense to fly out the window. Isn't the MLS campaign long enough as it is without a couple of extra training sessions?
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
Make no mistake. Peter Vermes is in complete control in Kansas City.
The Wizards revealed their current technical director as their new manager in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon and Vermes wasted little time explaining how he would approach his permanent on-field role and combine it with his off-field player personnel duties.
“Going forward, it will be one way,” Vermes said. “Being a coach is not a democracy. It's a dictatorship. That's the pressure that you take and that's o.k. I'm willing to take on those decisions. I probably won't make all the right decisions, but I'll learn from them very quickly for sure.”
After compiling a 3-6-3 record in three months as interim coach once the Wizards parted company with Curt Onalfo on Aug. 3, Vermes decided to assume full control and responsibility for the situation on and off the field after a meeting with Wizards president Robb Heineman on Monday. In previous years, Vermes said he felt somewhat frustrated about his lack of influence over the on-field product. During his interim stint, Vermes said he started to implement his ideas by changing the mentality and improving the fitness of his team, but couldn't completely overhaul the base already in place.
Those changes will occur more rapidly in 2010 as Vermes espoused the need for work ethic, teamwork and fitness in the squad as the Wizards try to rebound from a disappointing 2009 campaign. Vermes discussed how he planned to send each of his players individualized workout plans for the offseason and preached how important it would be for everyone to buy into the workmanlike mentality he plans to develop within the squad.
“I'm not going to sit here and tell you that we're going to be unbelievable next year or that we're going to be the most successful team in the league,” Vermes said “That wasn't my style as a player and I don't think it's going to be my style as a coach. I do know that the work ethic, the time, the planning, the preparation and the execution will improve on a day-to-day basis. That's my focus and that's what I believe we're going to be about. The consistency will come over time for sure.”
Finding that consistency may take a bit of time as Vermes sorts through his personnel group during the winter. Changes will come prior to the 2010 season, Vermes promised, though he couldn't quantify how many would eventually arrive.
“Is the nucleus what it needs to be? No, it's not,” Vermes said. “We didn't do well in many different areas in this team this past year. At the same time, there was a change in our mentality and our culture over the past (three) months. That's a big part of a successful team.”
Some parts of the team will be sticking around next season. Incumbent assistant coaches John Pascarella, Zoran Savic (who served as an interim assistant once Vermes assumed interim control) and Kerry Zavagnin will remain with the side, though Vermes floated the idea of adding a new assistant or a scouting director to aid in player evaluation. No doubt more than a couple of the current members of the squad – many of whom were acquired by Vermes – will earn a spot as well.
All who stay will have to toe the new line quickly as Vermes transforms the Wizards into a side more in line with his approach to the game. The buck now stops completely with Vermes, presenting a challenge that the former U.S. international defender embraces wholeheartedly.
“I've given it a lot of thought and the one thing that always comes to mind is that at the end, if you really want to build something, sometimes, you have to be willing to take on the challenges and the risks of what is ahead of you,” Vermes said. “I'm willing to do that and I think this is the right organization to do that with.”
Around the League
- Wondering why the Musings isn't focusing on the playoffs this week? Thank the schedule makers for a reprieve. With the conference finals slated for Friday and Saturday, there's plenty of time to catch up on some of the news involving the 11 teams not currently involved in the playoffs.
- Chivas USA has decided not to exercise its option to bring Preki back for the 2010 season and will seek to hire former assistant coach Martin Vazquez as his replacement, according to a Goal.com report. The club denied the move in a statement, though the statement noted that “all players and coaches are under evaluation.” Expect those evaluations to end in Preki moving elsewhere. The scuttlebutt heavily favored Chicago as his new destination prior to the playoffs, but the Fire's playoff success may or may not force a rethink about the approach to the coaching situation out in Bridgeview after the campaign. Even though he may have worn out his welcome with the Red-and-White, Preki will certainly have plenty of options to explore as a head man in MLS should he choose to do so.
- FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty signed a new deal yesterday. The 22-year-old midfielder capped a topsy-turvy year with the new pact after starting the season on the trading block and finishing it as one of the driving forces in the Hoops' late-season surge. McCarty also earned a spot in the U.S. squad for the match against Slovakia on Saturday. All's well that ends well, apparently.
- Tensions flared between a couple of Colorado players and the Rapids coaching staff at a recent post-season training session, according to a MLSnet report. The Rapids are one of several teams that have kept players around for a period of time for end-of-season training sessions. The utility of asking players who may or may not be on the squad in the upcoming season to stick around to train during the playoffs escapes me, but the Collective Bargaining Agreement mandates only six weeks off, five of which must be consecutive. The CBA provisions don't require common sense to fly out the window. Isn't the MLS campaign long enough as it is without a couple of extra training sessions?
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
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