Jay DeMerit, the unheralded Wisconsin product who became a regular defender for Watford after joining the English second-tier club in 2004, is ready to play for the U.S. national team, according to his coach, Adrian Boothroyd.
''Jay has shown that he has the ability to be a top-class player and I have contacted Bruce Arena and recommended that he takes a close look at him,'' Boothroyd said. ''Jay has shown that he is capable of playing at a higher level, I really think he could make a meaningful contribution to the American squad this summer in Germany.''
The 26-year-old central defender has made 21 appearances this season for the club that is poised to qualify for the Premier League promotion playoffs. …
… DeMerit is one of four Americans in the English second tier whose teams have a decent chance at promotion. Almost assured of making it are Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahnemann of Reading, whose midweek 1-1 tie at second-place Sheffield United keeps it with a 12-point cushion at the top of the standings and a 21-point lead over third-place Leeds, for whom Eddie Lewis patrols the left flank.
The top two finishers win automatic promotion. Finishers No. 3 through No. 6 enter playoffs for the third spot.
On Wednesday, Leeds downed Watford, which had two played red-carded, 2-1, to move into third place and knock Watford into fourth. Lewis and DeMerit both played the full 90. …
… Lee Nguyen, the 19-year-old Texan left Indiana University after his freshman season for PSV Eindhoven, made his Dutch Eredivisie debut last weekend in a 1-0 win over Heracles Almelo. Nguyen replaced fellow American DaMarcus Beasley at left wing in the 61st minute.
Said PSV coach Guus Hiddink of Nguyen: ''He is a versatile player and he is two-footed. He is an attacking midfield player and he is uninhibited. He does not need time to adapt; he presents himself. And that's what I like. Lee is a creative player. He loves the game. He is a naive and frivolous at time, but the again he is still a young lad.''
Nguyen, who played his youth ball with the Dallas Texans, is part of a youth movement at PSV. The two other rising stars are both Moroccan-Dutch: Ibrahim Afellay, 19, and Ismail Aissati, 17. Afellay has played for the Netherlands youth teams; Aissati's father is an imam, and hasn't decided whether to have his son play for the Netherlands or for Morocco. …
… Borussia Moenchengladbach goalkeeper Kasey Keller was Kicker Magazine's Man of the Match in last weekend's 1-1 tie MSV Duisburg. Steve Cherundolo returned to Hannover's lineup after missing two games with a head injury and helped Hannover to a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. In the German Second Division, Energie Cottbus, with Gregg Berhalter, notched its first win in five games, 1-0 over Sportfreunde Siegen. Cottbus is seventh-place, three points short of the promotion zone. …
… Keeper Brad Friedel helped Blackburn down Sunderland, 2-0, on Wednesday, which moved Rovers into seventh-place and into the thick of the race for a UEFA Cup spot.