On Saturday, we bid farewell to Jay DeMerit.
It will be a sad day for everyone involved with the club. After all, Jay was the first player signed by the ‘Caps after our entrance into Major League Soccer. He was our inaugural MLS captain and the heart and soul of the team over the course of the past four seasons.
Whilst he officially hung up his boots back in July, Saturday will give us all an opportunity to honour his contribution not only to the ‘Caps, but to soccer as a whole.
In celebration of his time in Vancouver (and beyond), we thought we’d crunch the numbers on the captain’s Cinderella-story of a career…
Ninth – The tier of English football in which Jay first started playing after moving to the UK in 2003.
70 – The amount (in dollars) that Jay earned per week after signing for Southall F.C.
183 – The number of games that DeMerit would go on to play for Watford after impressing the English club in a pre-season friendly. The American represented the team in both the Championship and the Premier League, as well as the latter stages of the illustrious FA Cup.
9 – The number of goals he scored during his time at Watford, including this all important header that helped the Hornets on their way to a 3-0 victory in the playoff final.
25 – The number of times DeMerit has been capped by the U.S. men’s national team. The central defender made his debut against Guatemala on March 28, 2007 and went on to represent his country at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
5 – The number of stitches that Jay required after splitting his tongue during his team’s 1-0 victory over Algeria at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The defender finished the game despite his injury.
77 – The number of appearances that the skipper made in all competitions after signing for the ‘Caps.
68 – The minute in which Jay scored his first MLS goal during the ‘Caps first-ever road win.
19,236 – The number of people in attendance when DeMerit played in the 2012 MLS All Star Game.
6 – The skipper’s shirt number.
Come and say goodbye to the captain at Saturday’s game vs. Colorado Rapids. Limited tickets are still available. Visit www.whitecapsfc.com/tickets for more information.