Dortmund Drag Themselves Up from the Dregs

From league winners to league rock bottom, a truly astonishing ride.

Relegation and Dortmund can be used in the same sentence. Who would believe that the 2013 Champions League finalist and Bundesliga winners as recently as 2011-2012 would sink to rock bottom in 2014? Football sometimes can be a business of misery.

Take Die Borussen's recent Champions League match against Arsenal. They were basically eleven dudes named Moe.

Borussia Dortmund are regarded as one of few teams that rely on youth rather than money. They rise to the occasion in Champions League action but are not coping well with hectic life in two football worlds as they've done before. After the injury of Dortmund-Gem Marco Reus, the club's downfall seemed unavoidable.

Even in the match against Hoffenheim, Ilkay Gundogan -- recently returned from injury -- was the only difference maker, heading the goal that moved Dortmund off the doormat.

With the January transfer window now imminent and Die Borussen's hopeless performance in the league, some stars are bound to leave.

According to their manager, Jürgen Klopp, Dortmund remain sellers. Well, dude, if you don’t buy the ticket, you don't win the raffle.