Jay DeMerit, The People’s Champion

We’ve all wondered what it would be like to hang out and have a drink at a bar with our favorite players. We always envision our heroes to be cool dudes that want to spend time with us.

Well some Vancouver Whitecaps fans got just that when they ran into captain Jay DeMerit at a pub in Portland after a 2-1 loss to the rival Timbers.

A USA Today article says that a group of 25 fans, called the Handbags, were at a pub drinking away their sorrows after the game when DeMerit walked in. Even though DeMerit and his team had just lost, he stayed with the fans, chatted with them and sang some songs too.

Not only did he hang out with them, but he even footed the tab.

On his Twitter DeMerit wrote:

Meeting friends who happen to be with the #handbags Cap’s supporters group.After a disappointing night, they have made it better. #thanks

— Jay DeMerit (@D6MERIT) August 26, 2012

American soccer fans have been drawn to DeMerit over the years because of his story, recently made into a documentary, about how he traveled to England and beat the odds, going from bar leagues to the English Premier League and then to the World Cup. They love his underdog story.

Now we have further proof of how down to Earth he is. You can tell in the picture he posted on Twitter that not only did they lift his spirits, but he did the same to theirs as well.

Well done, Jay. You truly are a man of the people.