<strong>Peter Vermes</strong>, who helped lead the Wizards to their only MLS Cup title as a player, will try doing so as the club&rsquo;s next head coach.</p><p>Vermes, the club&rsquo;s technical director since November 2006, has decided to add the role of head coach to his responsibilities. The club has called a news conference for 2:30 p.m. today to make a formal announcement.</p><p>Vermes completed the 2009 season as the club&rsquo;s interim coach after <strong>Curt Onalfo</strong> was dismissed at midseason. The Wizards went 3-6-3 under Vermes and posted an 8-13-9 overall record, missing the playoffs for the first time in three years.</p><p>At the end of the season, Vermes, who turns 43 on Nov. 21, said he enjoyed working with the players daily, and though the club received about 100 resumes, he wanted to give serious thought to becoming the fourth head coach in Wizards history.</p><p>Wizards players who were contacted on Monday night were happy to hear Vermes will return as both coach and technical director. Vermes spent 1996-2002 as one of MLS&rsquo; top defenders and was Defender of the Year in 2000 when the Wizards won MLS Cup. He also is a former member of the U.S. World Cup and Olympic teams.</p><p>&ldquo;Peter brings an increased amount of intensity and precision for details in every facet,&rdquo; said forward <strong>Josh Wolff</strong>, the Wizards&rsquo; leading scorer. &ldquo;That speaks to how he was as a player. He was very determined, very intense and paid attention to all the little things, and that&rsquo;s why you have success as a player, you don&rsquo;t let the little things go unnoticed, and he paid attention to everything.</p><p>&ldquo;As a coach, he&rsquo;ll do the same thing, and as a result, he&rsquo;ll have success in that role as well.&rdquo;</p><p>Although the Wizards won just three of 12 games under Vermes, they responded to his emphasis on being a more physically fit and team-minded club.</p><p>&ldquo;Whenever you have a transition in the middle of the season, it&rsquo;s always difficult,&rdquo; Wolff said. &ldquo;When the change happens, there&rsquo;s that little bit of a lull, that sense of uncertainty, because you&rsquo;re not sure what&rsquo;s transpiring in the group. As the season ended, we started to turn the corner and put together some good performances.&rdquo;</p><p>Continuity is also important, and had the Wizards hired another head coach, that would have meant starting over with a third different coach in less than a year.</p><p>&ldquo;From the start, he tried to establish a certain way he wants things to be done on a day-to-day basis,&rdquo; midfielder <strong>Davy Arnaud</strong> said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s given a clear picture on how things are going to be done.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s made it clear that we need to get better physically and he&rsquo;s given a challenge that the off-season needs to be taken seriously.&rdquo;</p><p>Both Vermes and club president <strong>Robb Heineman</strong> have said the roster will be overhauled during the offseason.</p><p><strong>&bull;CONRAD BACK WITH U.S. TEAM:</strong> Wizards defender <strong>Jimmy Conrad</strong> has joined the U.S. national team for training before Saturday&rsquo;s friendly at Slovakia, which, like the U.S., also qualified for the 2010 World Cup. Former Wizards forward <strong>Eddie Johnson</strong>, now with Fulham of the English Premier League, also made the roster.