On This Day in 2006, the Un-Capped Defender Nodded Home Watford's Opener in the Championship Play-off Final
An unheralded American defender found himself leaping above the chaos of the 2006 Championship Play-off Final, and his powerful header was destined to make history. Jay DeMerit, a Wisconsin native who once tended bar to make ends meet, had risen from the ninth tier of English football to score arguably the most important goal in Watford Football Club's recent history (or at least pre-Troy Deeney). His journey from small-town America to Wembley glory embodied the quintessential underdog story that sports fans treasure.
DeMerit's path to professional soccer was anything but conventional. A three-sport athlete at Bay Port High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin, DeMerit excelled in basketball and track alongside soccer before graduating in 1998. His collegiate career at the University of Illinois at Chicago saw him transition from forward to defender, helping lead the Flames to their first NCAA playoff appearance in 2000. Despite playing with the Chicago Fire's development team, no Major League Soccer clubs came calling after graduation.
Facing limited prospects at home, DeMerit made a bold decision that would define his career. With just under two grand in his pocket and a European Union work permit (courtesy of his Danish grandfather), he traveled to England in 2003 to pursue his professional dreams. The early days were humble, to say the least.
"I had about $1,800 when I came over, which translates to about 900 pounds, so I started to enjoy eating beans on toast," DeMerit would later tell English journalists, reflecting on his arrival in London.
He began his English odyssey with ninth-tier Southall, earning a meager £40 per week. By July 2004, he had progressed to Northwood in the seventh tier. Fortune finally smiled on DeMerit when Northwood played a pre-season friendly against Championship side Watford. His performance impressed then-Watford manager Ray Lewington enough to earn a two-week trial, culminating in a one-year contract for the 2004-05 season.
DeMerit's rapid rise at Watford continued when he signed a contract extension in November 2004, keeping him with the club until 2007. "He's forced us to give him another contract because he's done so well," Lewington explained. "He's one of those people that you know will make it - it's a question of when rather than if with Jay. I think he's going to be a top player."
The 2005-06 season began with modest expectations for Watford. Most pundits predicted a relegation battle. However, the Hornets defied expectations under new manager Adrian Boothroyd—a young, innovative coach who had briefly worked with DeMerit's future playoff opponents, Leeds United. Maintaining strong form throughout the campaign, they secured third place in the Championship, earning a spot in the promotion playoffs.
As the playoff final approached, the stakes could not have been higher. The winner would ascend to the Premier League—with its glamorous matchups against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal—while the loser faced another grueling season in England's second tier. Promotion wasn't merely about prestige for clubs like Watford and Leeds; the financial implications were enormous, with the match widely described as a "£30 million game."
DeMerit wasn't the only American with dreams of Premier League football that day. Leeds United featured U.S. national team stalwart Eddie Lewis, who had already been named to Bruce Arena's 2006 World Cup squad. While Lewis prepared to join his national teammates for the tournament in Germany, DeMerit, who had never represented the U.S. at any level, knew a strong performance might finally put him on the international radar.
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff welcomed 64,000 fans for the Championship playoff final on May 21. The playing surface, badly cut up after hosting rugby union's Heineken Cup final the previous day, created challenging conditions that favored Watford's direct approach over Leeds' more possession-based style. Both teams started brightly. In the opening minute, Watford striker Darius Henderson failed to make clean contact on a close-range header from a corner, while Leeds midfielder Shaun Derry saw his goal-bound shot deflected around the post. The frantic early exchanges reflected the enormity of the occasion.
Then, 24 minutes into the match, came DeMerit's defining moment. When Ashley Young prepared to deliver an inswinging corner, DeMerit made a split-second decision that would change his life.
"I kind of trot up, and I start my run. And normally, I make a near post run, that's normally my run that I'll do on corner kicks, but for some reason, I decided not to make that run, so I kind of faked that I would do that and then came around the back," DeMerit recalled years later. "Ashley Young whipped in a great cross right to where I was going, and I remember just nothing else mattered. I remember thinking, just look at the ball, and I remember, of course, the atmosphere, 70,000 people, you know there's 22 guys on the pitch, and I don't remember one of them when I saw that ball coming in. I just remember coming in, looking at the ball, and just making sure I hit it square, and I dove in and bang."
The powerful header sailed past Leeds goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, sending the Watford supporters into raptures. The goal settled Watford and allowed them to retain midfield possession while continuing to threaten from set pieces. As halftime approached, Leeds had a penalty appeal turned down when Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster appeared to push Paul Butler, and Eddie Lewis fired a free kick narrowly over the crossbar.
Watford began the second half with the same intensity they had shown in the first, with Henderson testing Sullivan with a fierce strike. Their lead doubled in the 57th minute through a fortunate deflection when James Chambers' shot looped off Lewis, hit the post, and went in off Sullivan. The bizarre own goal gave Watford a commanding advantage.
Leeds pushed desperately for a way back into the match, with Derry's header cleared off the line by Jordan Stewart in the 70th minute. But Watford sealed their Premier League promotion in the 83rd minute when Henderson calmly converted a penalty after Derry fouled Marlon King in the area.
As the final whistle blew on the 3-0 victory, DeMerit was named Man of the Match for his commanding defensive performance and crucial opening goal. The American defender who had once worked as a bartender had completed his remarkable rise, helping Watford return to the top flight for the first time since 2000.
"We've worked so hard all season, and today the boys came together," DeMerit said after the match. "It was a team effort, the fans got behind us, and we did the job. The first goal was very important; it's always good to get a good start. We started well and put them under pressure. We held on until halftime, which was crucial."
His family—mother Karen, father John, and brother Todd—had traveled from Wisconsin to witness his triumph. "It is a tribute to them for supporting me, and it is a tribute to everyone who enjoyed the ride," Jay reflected. "I am glad they got to experience it."
Watford's young manager, Boothroyd, was bullish about his team's Premier League prospects. "I know we're going to be favourites to go down," he said, "but that's okay. We won't go down. If I started to think about that, that's what will happen. It would be a self-fulfilling prophecy."
For DeMerit, Premier League promotion meant joining a growing contingent of Americans in England's top flight, including national team members Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahnemann (Reading), Claudio Reyna (Manchester City), Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Brad Friedel (Blackburn), and Tim Howard (Everton).
The playoff final hero uniquely celebrated his achievement, releasing a charity single in October 2006 titled "Soccer Rocks" through friends who ran an independent record label in Minneapolis. The song, including a reference to Watford's most famous supporter, Elton John, was sold through the club shop to benefit Cancer Research.
"It's crazy! It's really kind of funny, though," DeMerit said of his musical endeavor. "I don't care that I'm being made fun of because it's something fun. It came off and it's something for the fans to enjoy—not to critique."
While Watford would ultimately struggle in their Premier League campaign, finishing bottom and returning to the Championship after a single season, DeMerit's performances against England's elite caught the attention of U.S. national team coaches. He would make his international debut in March 2007, embark on a 25-cap career with the national team, and eventually represent his country at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
For a player once earning £40 per week in England's ninth tier, DeMerit's powerful header at the Millennium Stadium represented more than just the opening goal in a crucial match. It was the culmination of an against-all-odds journey and the moment that transformed a football dreamer into a Premier League player and international defender.
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