Earlier today we told you that Vancouver Whitecaps defender Jay DeMerit was set to call it a career, and confirmation comes less than a pair of hours later.
The 34-year-old announced his retirement in an open letter on Vancouver’s web site, one in which he touched on his remarkable rise from American college soccer to muddy amateur games in England to the Premier League and the World Cup.
And DeMerit laid it out in the fashion you expect from the hard-working, ambitious defender we’ve admired for many years. Here’s what the former Watford and Vancouver captain had to say about the end of his career following a tendon injury.
From Whitecapsfc.com:Even if I was to get back to a level where I could potentially play again, I would be putting at risk the reputation that I have spent so many years trying to create, and I won’t do that. I’ve never taken the field just because I can. I’m either all in or all out. I take the field because I’m ready and able to give my all, to fight for my teammates, and give a committed performance for my club or my country.
I’ve always been the kind of player who wears his heart on his sleeve – and it’s that heart that is telling me it’s time to stop. If I can’t be the player that I have always been, and play to a standard that I believe is high enough, then it’s time for me to smile, say thank you, and give my commitment to a new cause.
I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped my dreams become a reality over the past 11 years.
...
I’m sitting on my balcony, watching the sun drop behind the mountains of Vancouver, British Columbia. The ocean water in the bay is calm and I’m at peace.
I can’t wait to see what’s next.
The letter is absolutely worth your time, and I have to give a nod to my local American Outlaws chapter for the following contention:
Does everyone love @D6MERIT? Does everyone think he and @BocaBoca3 should receive a testimonial from @ussoccer @sunilgulati? Super! #USMNT
— AO Buffalo (@AOBuffalo) July 24, 2014
Hear, hear!
