Chapter 15 - Dominik

The day started earlier than normal for Dominik. The sky was still dark when the 6'4" German went out for a short run around his hotel. Linkin Park was blaring in his ear buds while sweat poured down his brow. Music and adrenaline were Dominik's favorite combination.

He could not get that beautiful smile out of his mind for a second. Suddenly, something else joined that thought in his mind. The crazy idea of inviting Samanta to one of the games. Most definitely Carlos, Samanta's friend would love that, but his publicist, Friedrich, might dismiss his idea completely, especially since he had only seen this girl a couple times. It was not sensible.

Approximately at 10am, Dominik was ready to board the bus with his team. The inaugural game had been scheduled at 2pm, but before, there would be a huge opening show, due in just a couple minutes, so everybody had to be at the stadium a few hours before the game, a matter of protocols.

“Ready?” Ewald, the team coach, asked with a look of complicity.

“It will be the easiest three points in my career” Dominik answered with a cocky smile.

Not to underestimate the US team, but, quite frankly they were nowhere near the same level as Germany, their team already had won three World Cups. It had nothing to do with the players individually, either, but most of them looked up to Dominik, that gave him an advantage.

They were welcomed by a few hundreds of reporters and TV cameras, photographers shooting their flashes at them from every direction. A group of FIFA representatives came up to the bus to make sure the footballers arrived to the Stub Hub Center without any setbacks.

The joy in this place got into Dominik instantly. The fans were screaming frantically from the bleachers, they were singing everything from the classic “Oe, Oe”, to very personalized cheers for some of the players in the Germany team. He found it funny that even though they were in a foreign country, the public would be so warm to a visiting team, but then he remembered how passionate their German fans were, and they followed them around the world. He smiled enjoying how lucky he was. Although he could not see them, he could hear them cheering clearly.

“This way, please” a woman's voice announced from between the group of people who welcomed them, showing them the way to their locker room, where they would be getting ready for the first game of the World Cup.