Jürgen Klinsmann, as if you could not love a man who drove a Volkswagen Beetle during his year at Tottenham any more, has excused US soccer fans from working on Thursday in order to watch the national side's pivotal group match with Germany.
The US kick-off against Germany at 5pm BST, which is 12pm on America's East Coast and 9am on the West Coast. Their previous two matches versus Ghana and Portugal began at a more convenient and later time, yet the decisive German match could prove problematic for soccer enthusiasts.
Klinsmann, though, has penned a letter urging employers to aid an "important cause". "We need the full support of the nation," Klinsmann declared.