U.S. head coach Jürgen Klinsmann watches as his players stretch during a training session in Recife, Brazil, on June 25, 2014

Julio Cortez—AP

By Maya Rhodan

June 25, 2014 9:42 PM EDT

For U.S. soccer fans who have to work during Thursday’s noontime World Cup match between the U.S. and Germany, don’t fret: the head coach of the U.S. men’s national team has you covered.

On Wednesday night, the national team tweeted a picture of coach Jürgen Klinsmann’s handwritten letter, which reads, “Please excuse ______ from work on Thursday, June 26th.”

It goes on, “I understand that this absence may reduce the productivity of your workplace, but I can assure you that it is for an important cause.”

Indeed it is. If the U.S. wins — or Germany fails to beat the team by a substantial margin, and the Portugal-Ghana game ends well — the home team could advance to the next round of the 2014 World Cup.

In other words, tomorrow’s game is a big freakin’ deal.

So while you could take an extended lunch or spend the afternoon switching between tabs of the live stream and something more legitimate looking whenever your boss walks past, wouldn’t it be easier just to send this letter to your boss and spend the afternoon cheering, “USA”?

We thought so.

The U.S. Soccer Coach Just Wrote You a Note to Skip Work for the Big Game