Jay DeMerit

Football player infobox
playername = Jay DeMerit


fullname = Jay Michael DeMerit
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1979|12|4|df=y
cityofbirth = Green Bay, WI
countryofbirth = United States
height = height|ft=5|in=11
currentclub = Watford
clubnumber = 6
position = Center Back
youthyears = 1998–2001
youthclubs = UIC Flames
years = 2001
2004
2004–
clubs = Chicago Fire Premier
Northwood
Watford
caps(goals) =

124 (8)
nationalyears = 2007–
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 007 (0)
pcupdate = 20:34, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 17:12, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Jay Michael DeMerit (born 4 December, 1979 in Green Bay, Wisconsin) is an American soccer player. He is a center back and currently plays for Watford in the English Football League Championship.

Career

DeMerit was a three-sport high school athlete in Wisconsin, where he participated in basketball and track in addition to soccer. He attended Bay Port High School and graduated in 1998.

DeMerit played NCAA soccer at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he moved from playing forward to defender. While in college, DeMerit formed part of a defensive backline that helped lead the team into the NCAA playoffs in 2000. Although he played with Chicago Fire Premier, the development team of the Chicago Fire in the USL Premier Development League, he was not drafted or signed by any Major League Soccer clubs following graduation from college. Taking the advice of a former European teammate, he decided to take advantage of his European Union work status (due to his Danish grandfather) and moved to England in 2003 with only $1,800, in an attempt to find a club to play for. He started off playing in the ninth tier of English football, for a Sunday league team, Southall Town F.C., earning only £40 a week.

In July 2004, DeMerit joined semi-professional team Northwood, a seventh tier side, to play in some of their pre–season matches. Northwood played Championship side Watford, then a League Championship side in their second preseason match. During the course of the match, DeMerit impressed then Watford manager Ray Lewington enough to earn a two-week trial. Following the trial, DeMerit signed a one year contract with Watford to play in their 2004–05 season and has been a regular in the Watford lineup ever since.

During the 2005–06 season, Watford was expected by many to fight relegation from the Championship to League One as they had in DeMerit's first season with the club. However, under new coach Aidy Boothroyd, Watford maintained strong form throughout the season and finished 3rd in the Championship table, earning the right to enter the playoffs for the last of three annual promotion spots to the Premier League. On 21 May 2006, in the play-off final against Leeds United, DeMerit headed in the game's first goal and was named Man of the Match as Watford gained promotion to the Premier League by defeating Leeds United 3-0. Soon afterwards, he joined the ranks of athlete-musicians by releasing a single entitled "Soccer Rocks", available in the club shop.

DeMerit's hard work in the 2005–06 Championship season and his efforts in helping get the club promoted was rewarded with a contract extension taking him through the end of the 2008–09 season as a Watford player.

DeMerit was named as one of three candidates for Watford's 2006–07 Player of the Season award, which was ultimately won by goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Until the 2007–08 season, DeMerit often filled the role of Watford's vice-captain, behind then-captain Gavin Mahon. He captained Watford for the first time on 9 December 2006 in the home game against Reading, and re-donned the armband on January 6 2007 for the 4–1 win over Stockport County in the FA Cup third round. On 15 December 2007 it was announced that DeMerit had been named captain, replacing Mahon, whose contract was not being renewed. [ [http://www.watfordfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~1191845,00.html HUGE SHOES TO FILL | Watford | News | News | Latest Headlines ] ] However, this later proved to be a temporary move, with the captaincy rotating between himself, Danny Shittu and Richard Lee, before finally being passed to John Eustace, a newly signed central midfielder. In later interviews, Demerit admitted that this placed strain on his relationship with Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd. [ [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1786_3498953,00.html TEAMtalk Football News | English League Championship | Football News from TEAMtalk ] ]

International career

DeMerit earned his first cap for the national team on March 28 2007, starting in a friendly between the USA and Guatemala. [http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6587074] He was a member of the USA squad for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

References

External links

* [http://www.watfordfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10400~30900,00.html Jay DeMerit profile] at watfordfc.co.uk
*soccerbase|id=39248|name=Jay DeMerit
* [http://www.yanks-abroad.com/content.php?mode=search&s=Jay%20DeMerit Jay DeMerit articles on Yanks Abroad]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/europe/2006-05-18-demerit_x.htm USA Today article on DeMerit prior to Watford's promotion match against Leeds United]
* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/10/09/soccer.demerit1016/index.html London Calling]
* [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=383160&root=americansabroad&cc=5901 DeMerit Making His Name in the Premiership]

Persondata
NAME=DeMerit, Jay
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Professional football player
DATE OF BIRTH=December 4, 1979
PLACE OF BIRTH=Green Bay, Wisconsin