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Thank God the international break is over

Man, Dortmund goes on international break, I can't watch Pulisic for two weeks, and my life goes to shambles. A few things that happened (note: Not all are bad. I mean, I'm chilling in Europe. Last night I walked around mildly drunk on rosé in a town known for its medicinal spring waters):

1) Dortmund loses to Bayern Munich and goes on international break

2) I fly to Copenhagen two days later, spend a shit ton of money and smoke a shit ton of cigarettes and drink a shit ton of beers. I try to touch the leg of the girl I'm staying with who, at least at one point, I was pretty sure liked me, and she says, "What are you doing?"

3) Had dinner with ex-girlfriend in Berlin

4) Slept in same bed as different ex-girlfriend in Berlin (nothing happened. I must note here that this girl is awesome and I'm so glad we've rekindled our friendship. The few days with her and her brother in Berlin have been the best part of this trip by far).

5) Took a bus to Prague

6) Drunkenly made out with a Peruvian girl, really wanted to bring her back to my apartment, she got an Uber.

7) Decided to just "let myself go." Subsequently went to Karlovy Vary, ate McDonald's, drank a half liter of boxed wine, had a conversation in the supermarket with a Russian lady who wanted to know what the word "dry" in Czech meant.

8) Booked a small room in the Czech countryside. Will try to watch the game on TV tonight or, if worse comes to worse, will stream it on my computer. If worse comes to awful, and for some reason the internet isn't working, I'll grab my computer and sprint the 3km to the nearest town and find internet. If my heart explodes, I'll die happy.

I gotta tell you: I have a really really really really really really really really good feeling about this game. Pulisic is going to start. Aubameyang is not, and I think that's actually going to be a good thing, because it will shake things up. And that's exactly what Dortmund needs. They need to shake things up.

Also, I think this international break can only have done Dortmund good. When you're having a bad streak a break can be exactly what you need. It allows you to forget about the past and gain the renewed confidence that comes just from thinking about the game and your opponent and how you're going to kick the daylights out of them.

Also, with regards to Pulisic, he's in tremendous form right now. He's rested from the international break, he played like a fucking animal in the Bayern game, and you just get the feeling that his confidence is somewhere in the stratosphere. So, I think there could very well be some fireworks in this game. And I'll leave it at that.

(ALSO, he wrote a 3,000 word essay on the state of US soccer. I will address that in a different post. Because it's pretty incredible (the fact that he wrote it at all more anything).)

Predictions for tonight's game? Well, while you guys are either at the game or in a bar in Germany somewhere or watching it from your homes in the US, I'll be nestled in the Czech countryside, possibly drinking a beer, possibly farting, definitely eyes peeled wide and trembling.

Predictions: Philipp, Yarmolenko, and Pulisic up top. Weigl at holding midfielder. Dortmund gets an early goal. Dortmund gets 5,000 goals over the next 80 minutes (and by 5,000 I mean 3.) Dortmund 3-1.

THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK IS FINALLY OVER!


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