With a match just 16 miles away from Disney World, Thomas Müller and Vancouver Whitecaps FC found the magical script.
Needing a win against Orlando City SC to control their potential to finish first place in the Western Conference on Decision Day, the Whitecaps fought back from a 1–0 deficit to defeat Orlando 2–1, with a 97th-minute winner from Müller.
His goal, a low-driven shot after skillful dribbling in tight space, came just moments after Vancouver’s Sebastian Berhalter’s shot snuck over the goalline. On that play, Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese smothered the ball and disguised it well enough that the close call could not be overturned, leaving the game level.
MLS does not have Goal Line Technology to determine whether it went fully across the line, so Müller took it upon himself to grab all three points.
STOPPAGE TIME MADNESS 😱
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 12, 2025
Pedro Gallese just keeps this goal out. pic.twitter.com/xpD0cdqz5A
After all, a last-gasp winner from the German legend is undoubtedly a better storyline than a ball sneaking over the line.
“He struck it well, and maybe it’s just a little bit of magic,” said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen after the match, which featured one of the furthest road trips in world soccer. “We're in magic land, so it was a little bit from the magic kingdom.”
MÜLLER SAVES US AT THE DEATH 🤯#VWFC | #ORLvVAN pic.twitter.com/nhvl8lxuHZ
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 12, 2025
It was a steaming night in Orlando during the early stages of fall. The game was played on a soft, damp pitch and in front of a light crowd as the Lions continued limping into the MLS Cup Playoffs, where they will likely play in the Eastern Conference Wild Card game.
At the same time, both sides were missing several players due to the October international window.
While Orlando got the early lead, the Whitecaps leaned on their entire squad to fight back late.
MLS Next Pro call-up Nelson Pierre scored the tying goal in the 81st minute, and Müller’s winner came with an assist from Ryan Gauld, the club captain who is still ramping up his minutes after recently returning from a seven-month injury absence.
For Sørensen, the grind embodies what his team is capable of, showing the difference that Müller and Gauld can add in tight matches like Saturday’s, which could preview some of the tense moments to come in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
“It was the intensity you wanted to play with, and there were some nerves in the game. It’s the excitement when the game is very tight and close,” the Danish first-year head coach added. “It's obviously always a great way to win, but you can't always predict that.”
Müller’s Strong Impression
Müller’s start in Vancouver parallels few in MLS history, and draws comparisons to Didier Drogba’s start with CF Montréal in 2012, when he scored 11 goals in his first 11 games.
For the Raumdeuter, it’s now seven goals and four assists in eight games, and he’s now linked up twice in MLS play with Gauld in a burgeoning partnership that could rank among the league’s elite.
Yet, it was the dogpile in the moments after scoring that elevated the moment and showcased just how much Muller has become a part of the team, and not an overpowering star figure.
“What he’s shown since he’s come here, with the way he presents himself, with the quality he adds to the team, with how much he’s involved in what chances we create … in the build up and also in the pressing, I think he’s been even more than we could even have hoped for when he came,” Sørensen said.
“He has had a very fast, very strong impression, and it will also add to his teammates, because they also have a strong belief that we can do something like this.”
Western Conference in Reach
With the win, the Whitecaps put themselves in the driver’s seat heading into Decision Day, the final day of the regular season on Oct. 18, when they will take on FC Dallas at home.
The Whitecaps now sit atop the conference on 63 points and could clinch the top seed in the conference with a win on the final day. They will, however, have eyes on LAFC’s Sunday match against Austin FC as the California side can reach a maximum of 65 points with two games remaining.
San Diego FC currently sits second in the Western Conference and can earn a maximum of 63 points if they defeat the Portland Timbers on Decision Day.
Still, though, the effort and fightback highlight what has been a dream year––if not a magical one––for the Whitecaps, one they hope will end atop the Western Conference and lead to MLS Cup.
“I trust this team, I love this team, and we will go for it,” Müller said post-match. “It’s a good feeling to know that you’re not losing every game if you’re down; we are even winning.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘A Bit of Magic’—Thomas Muller Heroics Fuelling Vancouver Whitecaps Ahead of MLS Cup Playoffs.
