Müller Draws the Spotlight in Whitecaps Debut

Thomas Müller’s MLS debut was full of excitement and drama. The German entered in the second half against Houston Dynamo, greeted by a roaring ovation from more than 26,000 fans at BC Place, and even scored what looked like a dream debut goal before it was ruled out for offside. “The moment when I scored the goal was amazing. The noise in the stadium and also the reaction of all my teammates, that was a great start for me,” Müller said afterward. “In the end the result was a little bit disappointing. If you don’t score, the door is always a little bit open. It was a great shot, but we have to take the result and improve in the next couple of weeks.”

Müller played 29 minutes and was on the receiving end of a late shove with no foul called, yet he kept a positive outlook. “I’m now fresh into this team. I’m new into the league. I need a few weeks to figure out what’s right or wrong. To be honest I feel really good after this game. My body felt quite good even after this crash. Now I feel free.”

Coach Jesper Sørensen deployed him as a secondary striker and praised his intelligence. “There’s of course high expectations for a player like Thomas coming here to MLS. First and foremost, it’s about blending in together with his teammates. I think he did very well. He has a high football IQ, he understands where to position himself and also which spaces to attack,” Sørensen explained. “It could have been a magic moment, with him scoring the goal just coming on the pitch, but a narrow offside, that’s what can happen in football. I was quite happy with his performance.”

The Bayern Munich legend was warmly welcomed by the Vancouver crowd throughout the week, something he didn’t take for granted. “The first days were busy, but in a positive way. I had a very warm welcome in this city and to the whole club. I enjoyed it a lot. I want to continue and lead this team to something special.”