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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><SPAN class=art-title2>American DeMerit's English dream</SPAN> <TABLE cellSpacing=5 cellPadding=5 width=150 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
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<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>It's been a long road for Jay DeMerit and his struggles have aided him in becoming a fine defender in the English top flight - a lesson Adriano learned in a pre-season friendly between Watford and Inter Milan.
</SPAN><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(AFP)</SPAN> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">06 Dec 2006</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>For any aspiringAmerican 'soccer' player, a place among the stars of the English Premiership is akin to a wild dream come true. Yet now, alongside the likes of Fulham's Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra, Claudio Reyna and DaMarcus Beasley of Manchester City and goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Tim Howard, stands a virtual unknown - one Jay DeMerit.
Unlike the rest of the Americans plying their trade in top-flight European leagues, DeMerit - born just outside of the cheese-making mid-western city of Green Bay, Wisconsin - has never been called into a national-team camp (of any age category) and never even managed a competitive match in the US' top flight MLS. Instead, with a dream in his heart and little more then 1,800 USD in his wallet, the tall, athletic and determined striker-turned-fullback headed for England in the hope of making it among the big boys.
What he got upon his arrival in 2003 was not instant stardom or some fairytale twist, but rather a rude awakening. After lining up with MLS side Chicago Fire's reserves after a reasonably successful university stint which saw him leave basketball and athletics behind to focus strictly on football, it became obvious to the then 24-year-old that the club was not going to offer him a contract. After consultation with an English-born team-mate, he decided to have a go across the pond, a move made easier thanks to EU status gained through his Danish grandfather.
After unsuccessful trials with Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers, DeMerit - with little choice in the matter and very near stone-broke - kept fit and earned a few pounds here and there playing semi-pro football. "I was living in an attic with £2 in my pocket," he recently recalled.
However, at the start of the 2004/5 season, DeMerit was spotted - while training out of contract - with semi-pro Northwood (in the seventh tier of English football) by Watford boss Ray Lewington. His performance in a friendly earned DeMerit a trial with the then-first division Hertfordshire side, and after signing his first professional contract at the age of 26, DeMerit performed admirably for Watford as the side narrowly avoided relegation to the third tier of English football.<TABLE id=SLIVER cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The start of the 2005/6 season saw a coaching changewith the young andambitiousAdrian 'Aidy' Boothroyd called in. With the new manager's faith and backing, the American quickly became the lynchpin of a defence that performed brilliantly and helped seal a massively unlikely promotion to the Premiership via the play-offs - where the American scored and was named man of the match in the crucial win over Leeds United and countryman and US national team regular Eddie Lewis.
DeMerit - who only two years earlier did not know where his next paycheck was coming from - is now lining up against the likes of Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney in arguably the best league in the world. And what's more, he's looked good doing it.<TABLE id=IMGTAB height=150 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width=150 alig
</TD></TR><TR class=paddingall><TD vAlign=top>
<SPAN class=textblack11px_normal>It's been a long road for Jay DeMerit and his struggles have aided him in becoming a fine defender in the English top flight - a lesson Adriano learned in a pre-season friendly between Watford and Inter Milan.</SPAN><SPAN class=textblack11px_bold>(AFP)</SPAN> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(FIFA.com)</SPAN> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">06 Dec 2006</SPAN>
<SPAN class=art-text>For any aspiringAmerican 'soccer' player, a place among the stars of the English Premiership is akin to a wild dream come true. Yet now, alongside the likes of Fulham's Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra, Claudio Reyna and DaMarcus Beasley of Manchester City and goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Tim Howard, stands a virtual unknown - one Jay DeMerit.
Unlike the rest of the Americans plying their trade in top-flight European leagues, DeMerit - born just outside of the cheese-making mid-western city of Green Bay, Wisconsin - has never been called into a national-team camp (of any age category) and never even managed a competitive match in the US' top flight MLS. Instead, with a dream in his heart and little more then 1,800 USD in his wallet, the tall, athletic and determined striker-turned-fullback headed for England in the hope of making it among the big boys.
What he got upon his arrival in 2003 was not instant stardom or some fairytale twist, but rather a rude awakening. After lining up with MLS side Chicago Fire's reserves after a reasonably successful university stint which saw him leave basketball and athletics behind to focus strictly on football, it became obvious to the then 24-year-old that the club was not going to offer him a contract. After consultation with an English-born team-mate, he decided to have a go across the pond, a move made easier thanks to EU status gained through his Danish grandfather.
After unsuccessful trials with Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers, DeMerit - with little choice in the matter and very near stone-broke - kept fit and earned a few pounds here and there playing semi-pro football. "I was living in an attic with £2 in my pocket," he recently recalled.
However, at the start of the 2004/5 season, DeMerit was spotted - while training out of contract - with semi-pro Northwood (in the seventh tier of English football) by Watford boss Ray Lewington. His performance in a friendly earned DeMerit a trial with the then-first division Hertfordshire side, and after signing his first professional contract at the age of 26, DeMerit performed admirably for Watford as the side narrowly avoided relegation to the third tier of English football.<TABLE id=SLIVER cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The start of the 2005/6 season saw a coaching changewith the young andambitiousAdrian 'Aidy' Boothroyd called in. With the new manager's faith and backing, the American quickly became the lynchpin of a defence that performed brilliantly and helped seal a massively unlikely promotion to the Premiership via the play-offs - where the American scored and was named man of the match in the crucial win over Leeds United and countryman and US national team regular Eddie Lewis.
DeMerit - who only two years earlier did not know where his next paycheck was coming from - is now lining up against the likes of Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney in arguably the best league in the world. And what's more, he's looked good doing it.<TABLE id=IMGTAB height=150 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width=150 alig