Thomas Müller: Vancouver “gets the naked truth from me”

Playoff quarterfinals against LAFC

Thomas Müller is leading the way as a leader at the Vancouver Whitecaps – this also includes addressing uncomfortable news. “I give the team more naked truths between the lines than they were used to and would sometimes like,” said the 2014 world champion to “Kicker”.

“The guys are super nice to each other here, sometimes too nice on the pitch for my liking. Maybe with my manner I can convey a little bit that you can be nice and still address things clearly that need to be done better,” continued Müller, who wants to bring a “winner culture into the culture of conversation.”

Müller has been playing in Canada since this summer and immediately took on a key role in his new team after leaving FC Bayern Munich. In ten competitive games across all competitions so far, he has nine goals and four assists. “I didn’t have high expectations when it came to goals, but I definitely exceeded them (laughs). Of course I’m happy about the goals, but mostly I’m happy about the team’s successes,” emphasized the 36-year-old and spoke of “more thrills than I thought before my transfer.”

Müller before the playoff quarter-finals with Vancouver Whitecaps against LAFC

On Saturday (local time) the veteran and his team will face the playoff duel with Los Angeles FC; the duel at home will be sold out with 55,000 spectators. The winner of the game advances to the Western Conference final, followed by the final against the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Whitecaps still have to win three games before they can win the Major League Soccer title. Müller’s, as always, clear opinion on the subject of playoffs: “It might take a bit of ‘gambling’ to choose the champion of a league, but it’s exciting every second.”

With LAFC, the attacker will also meet an old acquaintance: Timothy Tillman, who often trained with the professionals during his time with Bayern’s youth team. But former French national goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and long-time Tottenham star Heung-min Son are also part of the team. Müller said about the strengths of the upcoming opponent: “Denis Bouanga can be seen in every MLS highlight video on match days; he is putting his stamp on the league. With him and Son, LAFC has two extremely dangerous strikers. They score almost all the goals and have the ability to hurt you on the counterattack. The other players are primarily responsible for ensuring that the team behind them is compact and stable, and that they organize the field. That is their style that we will adapt to.”

He sees Vancouver prepared for the duel: “Above all, we act as a unit on the pitch. We are well positioned in all areas, a few important players are now returning in time after injuries. The team has made great development this season and now we want to surprise the well-known teams in the playoffs.” Müller named San Diego, Los Angeles and the Whitecaps in the west as well as Miami with Lionel Messi, Philadelphia and Cincinnati in the east as favorites. If he were to win the trophy with the Canadians, it would be “something very special for the city of Vancouver and the club, the first time in football since 1979,” says Müller, but he doesn’t want to think about it yet. Until then, “an extremely greedy humility” is required in every game.

Müller will also play in Vancouver in 2026: “Yes – full attack!”

His contract expires at the end of the year, but with the option of an extension and being able to continue as a designated player in 2026. The Bayern record player’s contract in Vancouver is divided into two parts. Until the end of the MLS season in December, Müller will receive a TAM (Targeted Allocation Money) contract that will pay him a maximum of around 600,000 euros. The TAM is money made available to MLS clubs to pay salaries above the salary cap without giving up a spot for a Designated Player (DP). There are three of these per team per year. The Whitecaps had registered six-man Andrés Cubas and ten-man Ryan Gauld for 2025 and opted for a salary model without a third DP. Müller can take this place from 2026, then he should receive another 6 million euros by the end of the year. He recently received around 20.5 million euros from Bayern. There is no question for Müller whether he will also play in Vancouver next year: “Yes – full attack!”

Long discussions with sports director Axel Schuster, who once worked in Mainz and Schalke, paved the way for the change in the summer. The two have continued to communicate regularly since then. The topic is things “that need to be improved in the medium term and what is possible here within the financial framework,” reported Müller. “Together we are trying to use my impressions from 16 years at the highest level to advance the structures and sporting success at the Whitecaps.”