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DeMerit doubtful for qualifiers with eye injury

Jay DeMerit 1 (ISIphotos)

                                                        photo by ISIphotos.com

If the U.S. national team is to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, it will likely have to do so without Jay DeMerit.

DeMerit suffered an eye injury during Watford's trip to play Plymouth Argyle on Sept. 15, when he accidently cut his eye while removing a contact lens. The cut got infected, and DeMerit told Yanks-Abroad.com that he is having trouble seeing out of that eye.

The injury may require surgery, and is likely to cause the Watford defender to miss the U.S. team's final World Cup qualifiers, at Honduras on Oct. 10 and vs. Costa Rica four days later.

Earlier this month, DeMerit missed the United States' qualifiers with a groin strain.

What do you think of DeMerit's eye injury? Do you see the U.S. beating Honduras without him? Who do you think should replace him? Think this opens the door for Castillo to get a look at left back?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Damn this is unfortunate. Contacts can be a real bitch sometimes. Get laser surgery Jay!

    However, this means Boca will almost certainly play centerback, opening the door for either Edgar Castillo or Spector (with Dolo at RB) at LB. It will probably take another bad game from Bornstein at Honduras for Bob to even try one of these scenarios.

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  2. Any word on the Honduras qualifier? If they had to move it how does that process even work? Does Honduras get to choose a site of their preference?

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  3. Dammit, dammit, dammit. And where the heck is Maurice Edu, anyway? Will we ever have a fully healthy squad? But better now, I guess, than nine months from now.

    Speaking of which, it just dawned on me: All you married folks be sure to avoid getting pregnant for the next month. Otherwise you’d be delivering right in the middle of the World Cup. What a distraction!

    Yes, wow, the World Cup is just nine months away. Wow!

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  4. Do any you remember what Jimmy Conrad did for the team. You are all asking for people who have never played in significant games for the USA. Goodson, Marshall, and Castillo to name a few. Bornstein is TERRIBLE and has proven in the last several games. He should never get another look.

    Conrad has played in big games and can still perform. He started over Boca in WC06 and should still.

    it should be…

    cherundolo conrad gooch boca

    Most experienced back line and will be able to play against the best players in the world during WC10. DeMerit and Marshall as back up CB’s. DeMerit could take Conrads spot but the Conrad should be first off bench.

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  5. Castillo should at least get a call up, even if Bob does “play it safe” and start Bornstein…that way if we do win he can try Castillo out vs. Costa Rica. It seems like Bob is against playing Spector at LB, otherwise he would have done it already.

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  6. Ooooh…ouch. For those of you who asked how it’s possible to get a cut while wearing contacts, it’s very possible. It usually happens when your lenses start to wear out, sometimes they’ll tear a little and start bugging you. if you rub your eye the wrong way, that tear will start rubbing against the eye itself. A few weeks ago, I my lens started bothering me, and being the smart one that I am, rubbed my eye, then felt a pain, like I had something in my eye. I was out with a friend, so I toughed it out until I got home, but I managed to get a piece of debris out of the eye, but but man did that thing bother me still. When I got home, I took the lens out…and a quarter of the lens was missing. That piece of debris I had taken out earlier was actually the missing part of the lens. I used eye drops like no other to make my eye comfortable, but I had to stick to glasses the following day at work because my eye just couldn’t handle wearing a contact lens.

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  7. euroman is probably right on about no new faces, but could we see Castillo in camp? Or will BB only call in guys he plans to use?

    I think the best back line is:
    Spector Boca Gooch ‘Dolo

    Personally, as much as I like DeMerit, I think this should have been the back four even when Jay was healthy.

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  8. I hope Demerit gets better real soon… luckily we have Boca-Gooch in the middle, so no drop-off…. the left back spot is a roulette as always, there’s no telling that Boca would be better there than Spector or Bornstein…. I still don’t get why Spector plays LB for a Premiership club, yet not on the USMNT- his crosses notwithstanding…. I’d trade his crosses for sure-footed defender there though, especially on the road at Honduras, where they’ll be coming in waves at us….

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  9. I had that happen to me once, of course when I realized that i couldn’t see I went to the doctor immediatly thus infection wasn’t an issue but I was miserable for a week. It hurt everytime I blinked. Get better Jay, I shudder at the thought of having Bornstein in again. He redeemed himself at T&T but why he ever got a chance to do so after El Salvador is beyond me.

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  10. Maybe it’s time to see what Geoff Cameron can do. Ives urged a call-up months ago, and nothing has changed since then, IMO. If we need some speed at central defense, Cameron has shown the ability to track down and tackle forwards at full speed in the open field.

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  11. The solution is fairly easy, but I don’t think BB will make the correct choice.

    1. At CB, go with Gooch and Boca. With DeMerit out, we need Boca in the middle. Marshall (if recovered from his current knee injury) becomes the back-up CB. Or Conrad.

    2. At LB. The search goes on. I’m no Bornstein fan, he makes too many big mistakes too often, and one here could be problematic. I go for vets @Honduras. Some combination of Cherundolo/Spector/Hejduk on the outside. I’d go Dolo at RB, and Spector at LB, with the Dude for cover. Castillo gets called into the squad.

    I’d leave Pearce and Bornstein at home, or have them be squad players.

    Of course, BB will leave Frankie’s grit and leadership at home, refuse to move Spector, not call up Castillo, and play Bornstein.

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  12. Do they still make glass contacts? That’s a rather freakish injury. I wish him all the best in recovery. In the meantime, Gooch and Bocanegra will do fine in the middle, with Spector on the left and Cherundolo on the right. No issue.

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  13. That’s an embarrassing way to get put on the injury list. Heel up Jay Jay. Until then the US will be fine.

    CALL UP FRANKIE!

    No seriously, call him up. The man’s still got the hustle and heart you need as a defender.

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  14. It will be Boca & Gooch starting in the middle with Goodson on the bench with Marshall if he can make it or Parky/conrad will be brought in. Remember the card situation so someone may actually need to play and not just be available on the bench. Boca sits on his next card as well about 10 others. This roster will have to cover all of the ‘what ifs’ so BB will have to really think on this one.

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  15. For those calling for Chad Marshall be aware he hasn’t played in 3 weeks and has MCL injury and may not be back in time for the qualifiers.

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  16. Gruesome – get better soon, Jay.

    Put Marshall in his place, slide Bocanegra to the left – it worked well enough against El Salvador.

    I am suddenly not feeling extremely good about our back line, what with DeMerit frequently hurt, Onyewu on the bench at Milan, and Spector seeing sparse minutes at West Ham. Is it time to get Frankie Hejduk back in the mix?

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  17. How the hell do you injure your eye while removing a contact? They’re just soft thin pieces of plastic and they eye is a very tough muscle. Unless he has contacts made of glass, or he was DRUNK AS HELL, it’s damn near impossible to injure yourself.

    Also: Don’t most professional athletes get laser eye surgery so the contacts won’t affect their performance?

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  18. That sucks for Jay and the USMNT…..but bhere’s no way that happened! I’ve worn contacts for 20 years, and I’ve never even scratched my eye when taking them out (and, more than a few times, I was overserved while doing it).

    Maybe he and Lehmann were at Oktoberfest a little too long together?

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  19. I think this definitely opens the door for Castillo. Demerit is one of Bob’s favored 4 defenders right now. I think Marshall is a capable backup, but Bob will prefer to move Boca inside.

    He’s not going to go into those two qualifiers with just one left back, and Heath Pearce ain’t gettin’ called in.

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  20. Talk about a crap injury. Jay already seems kind of injury pron due to his physical style but to get an eye injury from taking out contacts. Well that is just bad luck.

    Wouldn’t mind seeing Marshall get the CB start and Boca on the left. Since Bornstein hasn’t been getting forward anyway, might as well have someone there who won’t make a huge mistake ala El Salvador. I guess it depends on the spead of Honduras’ wingers.

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  21. sux, depth reception is something to might be a bit important for a professional player, hope there isnt any sort of permanent loss or anything like that

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  22. get better Jay. Boca and Gooch at CB is usually satisfactory. Not too worried aside from Gooch’s lack of PT at Milan.

    If Jay requires surgery, maybe the docs, while they’re in there, can make him left-footed and hella faster, so we can try him out at left back…

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  23. Hello, you have reached the USSF’s department of bad luck.

    Currently we cannont accept your call as we tend to Demerit’s eye, Jone’s injuries and the search for Demarcus Beasley.

    Please leave a message at the BEEP

    Reply

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